Employment and skills research into asylum seekers and refugees in Yorkshire and the Humber

Aims

To review research into employment and skills of asylum seekers in Yorkshire and Humber to address the perceived lack of knowledge of this subject area within key regional organisations, policy and decision-making bodies.

Methodology

The report provides findings from existing studies, summarises data from four significant reports and reviews the methodology and scope of existing studies.

Key issues

The review found that the findings of the reports are often inconclusive, contradictory or not comparable. Notable gaps in evidence relate to the employment and skills of refugees in their country of origin, which is crucial to understanding their experiences in the UK. There is clearer data about refugee employment and skills in the UK, most significantly identifying the importance of English language to refugees and showing that a high proportion of refugees are not in paid employment.

Conclusions

Limitations of sampling and numbers of respondents limit the representativeness of existing studies, particularly relating to gender [few studies include women], and nationalities. Some findings are out of date, and there are large evidence gaps that may act as a potential barrier to improving the contribution of refugees to the region’s economy and integrating them into society.

Recommendations

The report recommends that key regional organisations fund a comprehensive skills audit of refugees in Yorkshire and Humber, including barriers to progression, to feed directly into relevant strategies and policies.