In December 2016 ECRE released the paper The Right to Work for Beneficiaries of International Protection:
The ability to engage in decent work is a fundamental human right, integral to human dignity and self-respect.
Failure to ensure proper access to the labour market hinders the ability of a beneficiary of international
protection to successfully integrate into their new society, and leaves them at risk of destitution. It may also
result beneficiaries of international protection engaging in unauthorized work in dangerous and degrading
conditions, or their unauthorized onward secondary movement.
As a result, it is essential to ensure
beneficiaries of international protection are given effective access to the labour market.
In order to effectively enjoy the right to work, individuals not only need effective access to the labour market,
but also access to vocational training courses and to have their qualifications recognised in a reasonable
period of time. Studies have revealed that when beneficiaries of international protection initially enter the
labour market they frequently only have access to jobs subsidised by the State and/or requiring a lower
level of qualifications or skills.
