- Language and communication barriers
- Fewer social connections and networks that could help with job opportunities
- Transport costs
- Unrecognised qualifications, skills, and experience from their home countries
- Difficulty navigating the UK job market
- Cultural differences
- Lack of a permanent address
- Mental health challenges
- High childcare costs
Employment and health
There is a clear connection between health and employment.
- People in work tend to be healthier and experience better overall health.
- Unemployment can be detrimental to health, with poor health then making it harder to find or keep work.
The significant benefits of employment are widespread. As well as providing financial stability and security, having a job makes it easier to engage in activities that promote good health, such as:
- eating a balanced diet
- being physically active
- having higher living standards, including:
- better housing,
- healthcare, and
- overall quality of life
- improved mental health and wellbeing, with reduced stress, anxiety and a sense of purpose
On the other hand, being unemployed is linked to worse health outcomes, such as:
- increasing the risk of physical health problems
- increasing the risk of mental health problems
- higher chance of early death
Refugees and asylum seekers, like everyone, benefit from having meaningful and rewarding jobs.
When refugees arrive in the UK or are granted refugee status, they are permitted to work without restrictions. However, despite having the right to work, they often face challenges in finding employment. As a result, refugees are less likely to be employed than people born in the UK.
The barriers faced when trying to find work include:
- Language and communication barriers
- Fewer social connections and networks that could help with job opportunities
- Transport costs
- Unrecognised qualifications, skills, and experience from their home countries
- Difficulty navigating the UK job market
- Cultural differences
- Lack of a permanent address
- Mental health challenges
- High childcare costs
The situation is even more difficult for refugee women, who are less likely to be able to find work than their UK born counterparts.
In Gloucestershire, many employers and businesses have welcomed refugees into their workplaces, helping them overcome these initial barriers to employment.
As a result, these employers have been able to see the real and positive impacts that refugees can have on their teams and ultimately, their businesses. These include:
- increased cultural awareness and insights
- increased diversity
- wide range and more diverse skill set
- new ways of thinking
- improved team morale and productivity
Unlike refugees, people waiting for a decision on their asylum claim are not generally permitted to seek paid employment in the UK. However, a small group of asylum seekers may apply for permission to work. These include those that have been waiting for a decision on their asylum claim for more than 12 months. If granted permission to work, they are able to apply for jobs selected from a limited list of sectors.
Modern slavery
However, the desire to gain employment can present its own risks for all migrants. They face heightened risks of exploitation and becoming victims of modern slavery due to:
- Language barriers making it difficult to seek help or understand their rights
- Isolation and lack of support networks
- Economic pressures that can push migrants into accepting exploitative conditions
- High-risk situations during their journey to the UK
- Precarious legal status and a lack of access to legal protection
- Discrimination and xenophobia that can limit opportunities and increase vulnerability
Unscrupulous employers or traffickers use these vulnerabilities to their advantage, exploiting migrants’ desperation, trapping them into forced labour, debt bondage, domestic servitude or sexual exploitation. Unfortunately, the fear of deportation or retaliation can prevent victims from seeking help and support.
It is crucial that refugees and asylum seekers are safeguarded from these exploitation risks. In Gloucestershire protection is achieved through:
- Early identification, including training for both Gloucestershire County Council employees and frontline staff to recognise signs of exploitation and modern slavery
- Timely referral to appropriate services
- Strong multi-agency collaboration, communication and response
- Community level awareness of the risks and development of local support networks
- Ensuring safe accommodation for all refugees and asylum seekers
- Access to support services, including mental health and trauma-informed care, to reduce their vulnerability to exploitation