Journal Article

Refugees, Social Capital, and Labour Market Integration in the UK

Cheung, Sin Yi, Phillimore, Jenny

2014

Overview

This study examines the relationship between social capital and labour market integration of new refugees in the UK using the Survey of New Refugees (SNR). Our findings suggest that length of residency and language competency broaden one's social networks. Contacts with religious and co-national groups bring help with employment and housing. The mere possession of networks is not enough to enhance access to employment. However, the absence of social networks does appear to have a detrimental effect on access to work. The type of social capital appears to have no significant impact on the permanency or quality of employment. Rather, language competency, pre-migration qualifications and occupations, and time in the UK are most important in accessing work. Our findings also have clear implications for both asylum and integration policy. The unequivocal importance of language ability for accessing employment points to a clear policy priority in improving competency.

• Publisher: SAGE Publications,Sage Publications,Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Access / Access to employment / Asylum / Asylum seekers / Competence / Cultural Capital / Economic integration / Employment / Housing / Labor Market / Labor markets / Labor migration / Labour market / Language / Language fluency / Language Policy / Length of residency / Literacy / Migration / Occupations / Political asylum / Qualifications / Refugees / Social capital / Social Integration / Social integration. Social relations. Social participation / Social networking / Social Networks / Social organization. Social system. Social structure / Social skills / Sociology / Sociology of work / Sociology of work and sociology of organizations / Studies / Surveys / United Kingdom / Working conditions / Working population. Employment. Women's work