WELCOME TO THE MOVE ON ROUNDTABLE: INTEGRATING MIGRANTS & - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

WELCOME TO THE MOVE ON ROUNDTABLE: INTEGRATING MIGRANTS & REFUGEES INTO THE LABOUR MARKET

WELCOME BY Wendy Smith, IARS Trustee

SETTING UP THE SCENE: MOVE ON PROGRAMME OVERVIEW AND EVENT’S OBJECTIVES Dr. Simon Aulton Deputy Director at IARS

MOVE ON  The Gender and Migration Move-On Project is a 2-year Erasmus+ funded programme, which focuses on sharing, developing and transferring effective practices, training, and knowledge of working with migrants, particularly focusing on gender and cultural sensitivity.  We have a strong, strategic partnership with 7 expert organisations, from 6 countries in Europe, including: ▪ SURT in Spain ▪ BERAMI in Germany ▪ KMOP in Greece ▪ SIP in Poland ▪ Projetto Acrobaleno in Florence, Italy ▪ Anziani e non solo in Moderna, Italy

AIMS OF THE PROJECT  The project aims to: 1) give the staff of the partner organisations the opportunity to participate to a dedicated and proven accredited training programme concerning gender and culturally sensitive guidance services to migrants; 2) share knowledge and successful practices across Europe concerning methods currently in use in partner countries; 3) identify the requirements of career advisors for migrants paying particular attention to issues of gender and culture.

OUR EXPECTED RESULTS  Our expected results for this project include the availability of: a) updated information on migrants and refugees integration into the labour market and related gender and diversity issues in partner countries; b) create teaching material on gender and diversity sensitive educational counselling for migrants; c) produce a description of profile and quality criteria for a career advisor who is an expert in gender and intercultural issues; d) and finally, the creation of an informal network of organisations at national and European level - interested in gender and diversity sensitive career guidance and counselling sharing practices, tools and experiences.

THE ROUNDTABLE  Today, our event will discuss current challenges confronting migrants’ and refugees’ integration into the labour market in the UK, and practical measures that can be taken to address these  We will hear from a diverse group of: ▪ expert practitioners ▪ academics ▪ refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers who will offer first-hand testimonies, sharing personal stories of their attempts to overcome barriers attached to the UK system in particular.  Through our event, we aim to contribute towards addressing and eliminating issues which impact migrants ’ integration and employment in the UK.

Thank you once again for joining us, and enjoy the rest of our event.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS  Amanuel Woldesus, Migrants Resource Centre  Jill Rutter, Director of Strategy and Relationships at British Future  Don Flynn, PICUM – the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants

MOVE ON ROUNDTABLE: INTEGRATING MIGRANTS & REFUGEES INTO THE LABOUR MARKET Mr Amanuel Woldesus Integration and community Development Manager Migrants Resource Centre

MIGRANTS RESOURCE CENTRE  What is integration?  Paraphrasing the European Union definition of integration slightly: Integration is a series of dynamic two ‐ way process based on mutual rights and corresponding obligations, which occur in all domains, including in social, economic and civic - not in isolation. Where:  interconnection between peoples is clear/rational – not conformity or uniformity.  peoples’ (groups and individuals) differences is acknowledged.  everyone has a right, obligation as well as responsibility to a just society for all.

DIFFICULTIES IN THE LABOUR MARKET

BARRIERS TO INTEGRATION

BARRIERS TO INTEGRATION CONTINUES

THANK YOU www.migrantsresourcecentre.org.uk

IMPROVING THE LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES Jill Rutter Director of Strategy and Relationships at British Future and author of the book Moving Up and getting On

MOVE ON? –  Integration different sections of society accommodate each other. It is a social and economic condition and a process that involves equal opportunities, participation, belonging and good community relations  Being employed is both an outcome and a promoter of both social and economic integration. Being in work also helps challenge some of the negative public attitudes to refugees as ‘non - contributors’  But some refugees face difficulties finding work, or are trapped in low paid employment  At present, no England integration strategy

MOVE ON?  The asylum process  Dispersal  Restrictions on right to work or study in further and higher education  Decision  Allocation of National Insurance number  Postcode lottery in careers and integration advice  Refugees may decide to remain in the place they lived as an asylum-seeker or may move on for work, usually to bigger cities.

MOVE ON?

MOVE ON

MOVE ON

MOVE ON  Little political space to campaign to give asylum-seekers the right to work, although there is public support for this and unemployment very low.  Some hopeful indicators – integration green paper, highlighting of two tier system  Campaign on asylum backlogs and on delays in granting NI numbers  English language support  Better careers advice – before asylum decision is made  Volunteering

WHY WE ARE IN A NEW AGE OF MIGRATION, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MANAGE IT BETTER Don Flynn Founder & Former Director at Migrants’ Rights Network

MIGRATION: POLICY MISTAKE OR THE NEW GLOBAL REALITY?  Between 2001 and 2011 the population of the UK was increased by 3 million.  This is not just a British phenomenon. Across the work the number of international migrants increased from 173 million in 2000 to 244 million people in 2015.  In 2013 eleven OECD countries were listed as having resident migrant populations making up between 5 and 12% of their – population in ascending order, Netherlands, Slovenia, Greece, United States, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Norway, Spain, Belgium, and Austria. In the UK the figure was 7.7% - just around the middle.

DRIVERS OF MIGRATION  Civil conflict is a main driver, with the UNHCR reporting 22.5 million refugees living outside the country of their citizenship. If we add internally displaced and stateless people to this number there are and estimated 65.6 million displaced people in the world.  But a larger group is made up of people who move as economic migrants, i.e. their primary reason is to improve their economic situation. Amongst this group are contract workers in regions like the Gulf states, season agricultural and construction workers, skilled professionals, and people exercising free movement rights under the terms of international agreements.

MIGRATION IS FACILITATED BY GLOBALISED LABOUR MARKETS  There are over 800 million wage workers in the world, seven out of every eight being in low and medium developed countries.  They increasingly work in industries that are part of the outsourced supply chains producing goods and services that will be consumed in the most developed economies.  Participation in these supply chains equips these workers with skill sets that make them employable in high wage economies.  Pull factors are asserted by business which require workers close to the point of consumption of the goods or service they are producing – such as construction, domestic work, hospitality or social care.

THE RISKS OF MIGRATION  For some groups migration is associated with a high risk of exploitation.  Rights that are available to citizens are often withheld for migrants – for example unemployment and sickness benefits – increasing the need to remain in work were wages are low and conditions hard.  Industries that make most concentrated use of migrants often do so on temporary, casual and/or zero hour contracts.  Employment agencies can play an unscrupulous role in managing the supply of migrant workers.  Lack of knowledge about rights and access to information and practical help also hold back advancement out of exploitative jobs.

THE LONG-TERM DANGERS  Further loss of rights – e.g. rights associated with citizenship of the EU – will mean the risks of unemployment and sickness become greater.  Dependency of a limited number of sectors for jobs will restrict social mobility.  Problems associated with low pay employment – housing insecurity, poor health, limited opportunities for retraining and career progress, unsettled family life, difficulty in supporting the education of children, create the danger that poverty will become inter-generational.  The concentration of people of minority ethnic groups in poverty contributes to negative stereotyping and racism.