FARIM – Female beneficiaries of asylum and subsidiary protection on the labour market – Information, mobilisation and integration in Austria, Germany and Norway

International studies have shown a difference in the employment process of recognized refugees and other migrant groups. Asylum beneficiaries show a considerably lower employment rate in the first years of their residence but later catch up with other migrant groups.

Moreover, female beneficiaries of asylum have a higher unemployment rate than their male counterparts although this is not rooted in a lack of interest in employment. There is certainly awareness among refugee women in Austria on the significance of employment for their situation. However, the actual labour market participation lags behind their aspirations. Despite high employment ambitions, female asylum beneficiaries are not well integrated into the labour market in Austria.

The literature names a range of intersectional factors that cause the poor labour market integration of refugee women. Targeted measures for labour market integration help to overcome one or more of these hampering factors. The FARIM project analyses respective good practices in Austria, Germany and Norway and examines their transferability and applicability. In Austria, the study focuses on four federal provinces: Tyrol, Upper Austria, Vorarlberg and Vienna. This selection was made to reflect regional differences in labour demands, availabilities of assistance, company-based vocational education and training within Austria.

Research objectives

The overall objective of the study is to provide a basis for further policy and program development aiming at an improved labour market integration of refugee women in Austria. For this, the study will provide comprehensive and evidence-based suggestions for the development and improvement of tailor-made and target group-oriented integration measures for refugee women in Austria.