Unexpectedly Pursuing Employment in a New Country: How Refugees Overcome Vocational Barriers

Abstract

Our goal in the current symposium is to build on this base of knowledge regarding the barriers faced by refugees, and to present research that unpacks the processes and factors that enable refugees to overcome tremendous challenges in pursuing successful employment from multiple perspectives. In doing so, we provide deeper insight into the problems and challenges that refugees face, provide preliminary solutions, and make theoretical contributions in the field. Finding solutions to the barriers that refugees face is necessary, as research has found that the single most important factor for successful refugee resettlement is securing employment (Porter & Haslam, 2003). From a theoretical standpoint, researchers have started to criticize current career theories for failing to describe the careers of underprivileged people, such as refugees, as underprivileged people often lack agency and choice in their careers (Duffy, Blustein, Diemer, & Autin, 2016). Thus, the scholarship presented here aligns with the 2021 conference theme Bringing the Manager Back in Management, as managers increasingly face the challenge of shaping how organizations are perceived by society. Our symposium addresses critical questions pertaining to the successful management of organizations, such as factors that can enable refugee career adaptability, how managers successfully and ethically integrate refugees into their workplace and identifying potential barriers refugees may face during their job search process. We focus on the two major career choices refugees face: traditional employment and entrepreneurship. Uncovering the Relationship Between Openness to Experience and Career Adaptability in Refugees Presenter: Alexander Newman; Deakin U. Presenter: Karen Dunwoodie; Deakin U. Presenter: Zhou Jiang; Flinders U. Presenter: Ingrid Nielsen; Monash U., Australia Gender Similarities and Differences in Experiences in Refugee Entrepreneurs Presenter: Hans Van Dijk; Tilburg U. Presenter: Sophie Alkhaled; Lancaster U. Management School Presenter: Lena Knappert; Vrije U. Amsterdam Presenter: Silke Van Herk; Tilburg U. Fostering Refugees' Labor Market Integration: The Roles of Businesses and Host Country Agencies Presenter: Katja Wehrle; Justus-Liebig U. Giessen Presenter: Ute-Christine Klehe; Justus-Liebig U. Giessen Presenter: Mari Kira; U. of Michigan Organizational Socialization Practices, Refugees’ Experiences, and Polyrhythmic Socialization Presenter: Elena Glauninger; U. of Graz Presenter: Renate Ortlieb; U. of Graz Presenter: Silvana Weiss; U. of Graz Development of the Refugee Job Search Stressor Scale Presenter: Matthew Hanson; SUNY, Albany Presenter: Lisa E. Baranik; U. at Albany, State U. of New York Presenter: Rachel Williamson Smith; Louisiana State U. Presenter: Liyue Fan; U. of North Carolina, Charlotte