Labour Market Integration of Refugee Women in Times of Crises: An Events System Theory Perspective

Abstract

Even without the impact of a global pandemic, refugees face obstacles to their integration into the labour market. Complex labour market integration challenges are situated across different, yet interwoven, levels. These include restrictive policies at the institutional level, limited funding for support measures at the organisational level and a lack of skills at the individual level. Many of these challenges are gendered and specifically affect women. Some might be further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic’s effect on the labour market integration of refugee women has yet to be explored. Based on the events systems theory and drawing on the phenomenon of a canvas ceiling for refugees, this paper examines specific challenges support organisations and refugee women have faced during the pandemic. We utilise a qualitative methods approach with semi-structured interviews. As a European country that hosts many refugees with an elaborated network of support organisations, our data was collected in Austria. Results show that the pandemic as a major and unexpected event has exacerbated ongoing challenges for refugee women and support organisations. We identify implications predominantly in relation to the development of necessary digital skills to support post-pandemic labour market integration. Finally, we provide avenues for further research and practical suggestions.