REFMismes Project: MPC/Bertelsmann Stiftung study on labour market integration of refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe.

This project ended in 2016.

Funded bylogo_bertelsmann

The Migration Policy Centre, in collaboration with the Bertelsmann Stiftung of Germany, is carrying out a research study on the labour market integration of recent refugees and asylum-seekers in nine European Union Member States. The overall objective of the REFMISMES Project (Mapping Labour Market Integration Support Measures for Asylum-seekers and Refugees: Policies and Practices in EU Member States) is to identify the policies and practices being implemented in different EU Member States to facilitate the labour market integration of recent refugees and asylum-seekers (i.e., those having arrived to the country in 2015) and to analyze them with a comparative perspective.

More specifically, the Study aims to:

  • Review the legal and policy framework concerning labour market access of recent refugees;
  • Provide an up-to-date and structured overview of different types of labour market integration support measures for refugees (REFMISMES), programmes and initiatives for refugees and asylum -seekers, including measures by civil society and private actors (such as NGOs, employers…);
  • Identify and discuss good practices and lessons learned in the different countries, as well as contextual factors affecting the effectiveness of different measures. See Project Description here:

See project description here

Research Team

Scientific Directors:

  • Prof. Philippe Fargues, Director of the Migration Policy Centre
  • Prof. Alessandra Venturini, Deputy Director of the MPC, University of Turin

Project Coordinator:

  • Prof. Iván Martín, Migration Policy Centre

EUI Associate Researcher:

  • Dr. Sona Kalantaryan, Research Associate, Migration Policy Centre

Country authors:

  • Austria: Hermine Weinberger-Vidovic & Dr. Isilda Mara (Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche, wiiw)
  • Denmark: Rebecca Wolffberg (5º year Ph.D. SPS Researcher)
  • Germany: Dr. Jütta Aumüller (DESI Sozialforschung Berlin)
  • France: Dr. Giulia Scalettaris (Université de Lille 2)
  • Italy: Prof. Alessandra Venturini (MPC, EUI)
  • Netherlands: Prof. Aslan Zorlu (University of Amsterdam)
  • Spain: Albert Arcarons (EUI, 4º year Ph.D. SPS Researcher)
  • Sweden: Prof. Pieter Bevelander (Malmö University) & Henrik Emilsson (Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity, and Welfare, MIM)
  • UK: Alastair MacIver (EUI, 4º year Ph.D Law Researcher)

Completed Activities

    • Methodological Workshop (Florence, 16 December 2015)   [Read More..]
    • Final Workshop (Florence, 29 February 2016)   [Read More..]
    • Presentation of main findings (Brussels, 18-19 May 2016)   [Read More..]
    • Presentations of the REFMISMES Study in Barcelona (29 November 2016), Vienna (5 December 2016) and Brussels (8 December 2016) [Read More..],

Publications

Methodological Note for the Research Studycoverpage_study_fromrefugeestoworkers_2016_vol_1
Executive Summary of the Study
Volume I, Comparative Analysis and Policy Findings
Volume II, Literature Review and Country Case Studies
Policy brief on the study in German: “Arbeitsmarktintegration von Flüchtlingen im EU-Vergleich: Keine Patentlösung in Sicht”
Martín, Iván. 2017. “From Refugees to Workers: What Challenges?” In The Integration of Migrants and Refugees: An EUI Forum on Migration, Citizenship and Demography, edited by Rainer Bauböck and Milena Tripkovic, 105–8. Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. European University Institute

Articles in the press

¿Tiene España un plan para la integración laboral de los refugiados y solicitantes de asilo?
Agenda Pública, 3rd May 2016
Towards recognition and employment of refugees
Hacia el reconocimiento y el empleo de los refugiados
Vers la reconnaissance et l’emploi des réfugiés
Miguel Peromingo, WAPES Articles (World Association of Public Employment Services), 9th June 2016
Studie: Kein EU-Land hat bisher Erfolg bei Integration am Arbeitsmarkt
Der Standard, 18th August 2016
Studie: Arbeitsmarkt-Integration von Flüchtlingen bleibt schwierig
Bild Zeitung, 28th September 2016
Asylum seekers in UK ‘face longest wait for work permit in Europe’
The Guardian, 29th September 2016
España falla en la integración laboral de los refugiados
El Periódico de a Catalunya, 29th September 2016
Migranti tagliati fuori dal mondo del lavoro
La Stampa, 29th September 2016
Wir schaffen das – irgendwann vielleicht
Die Zeit, 29th September 2016
Rifugiati in Europa: anche nelle virtuose Danimarca e Svezia solo pochi trovano lavoro
EU News, 29th September 2016
Ökonom Martín: “Flüchtlinge sind Europas Zukunftsinvestition”
Interview with Prof. Iván Martín of the Migration Policy Centre
Der Standard, 11th October 2016
Flüchtlinge: Job-Integration ist oft ein Blindflug.
Kurier, Austria, 9 December 2016.
El trabajo, premisa necesaria de la integración
A Job is the Key
Il lavoro, premessa necessaria dell’integrazione
Slujba, o premisă pentru integrare
VoxEurop, 12th January 2017
Migrantes: Tan indeseados…tan necesarios
Revista Proceso nº 2102, México, 19th February 2017

The REFMISMES project is financed by the Bertelsmann Stiftung