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Welfare reforms and the Refugee Resettlement Strategy: An opportunity to achieve meaningful employment outcomes for New Zealanders from refugee backgrounds?
O'Donovan, T. Sheikh, Mehak
O'Donovan, T.
Sheikh, Mehak
Author
Abstract
Despite employment being consistently identified as a key factor in successful refugee resettlement, people from refugee backgrounds in Aotearoa New Zealand are overrepresented in unemployment statistics. Of those who do gain employment, few secure work that is adequately remunerated and commensurate with the person's skills and qualifications. This paper explores whether the two recent government-driven initiatives, the welfare reforms and the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy, provide an opportunity to address these issues. Based on previous research, the authors identify the main employment barriers facing people from refugee backgrounds. They argue that while the welfare reforms and the Refugee Resettlement Strategy are underpinned by a desire to see more people in employment, for real change to occur, an integrated holistic approach is needed. This approach needs to include additional resourcing for government-funded specialist one-on-one employment programmes that are available in all regions where refugees are resettled. These programmes combined with access to fully funded English language tuition and work experience and internship opportunities would help reduce the barriers people from refugee backgrounds face when seeking employment.
Keywords
refugees, refugee background, Refugee Resettlement Strategy, employment, unemployment, welfare reforms, targeted employment programmes
Date
2014
Type
Journal article
Journal
Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online
Book
Volume
9
Issue
2
Page Range
82-88
Article Number
ACU Department
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled