Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

Beyond ‘bad actors’: Why do some employers use irregular migrant workers? (MPC Blog, March 2026) [text]

- Focuses on Europe.

Disposable, but indispensable: Irregularised migrants in Europe’s labour markets (MPC Blog, March 2026) [text]

How trade unions and employers’ associations react to irregular migrants: Variations in policy preferences across five European countries (MPC Blog, March 2026) [text]

Labour mobility programmes for refugees: origins, benefits and limitations (RLI Blog, March 2026) [text]

Reports:

Final report of the evaluation of the implementation of UNHCR’s Southern Africa Regional Stepped-up Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Strategy (2021–2024), EVO/2025/19 (UNHCR, Dec. 2025) [text]

Unlocking refugee work authorisation in Kenya: a practical framework for economic inclusion, institutional alignment, and national growth (Kenya Coalition for Refugee Economic Inclusion, March 2026) [text via NRC]

Journal articles:

"Entrepreneurial resilience of refugees in the Arctic region," Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, EarlyCite, 11 March 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Finland.

"Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations: How Multinational Enterprises Can Drive Refugee Employment," International Migration Review, OnlineFirst, 24 March 2026 [open access]

"Multi-Trillion Dollar and Multi-Million Worker Contributions: An Economic Accounting of Birthright Citizenship," Journal on Migration and Human Security, OnlineFirst, 19 March 2026 [full-text]

- Focuses on the US.

"Skilled personnel risk management under war-induced forced migration: implications for labor market sustainability," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 21 March 2026 [open access]

- Focuses on Ukrainians.

"Why Don’t They Work? Understanding the Complexity of Work Intentions Among Ukrainian Refugees in Germany," Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, Latest Articles, 11 March 2026 [open access]

Multimedia:

Meeting Labor Skill Needs While Expanding Refugee Protection, 26 Feb. 2026 [access]

- Focuses on Europe.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (10 March 2026)

Round-up: More on USAID Shutdown & Consequences of Aid Freeze (incl. on the US)

USAID under the Trump Administration (US Congressional Research Service, 3 Feb. 2025) [text]

The implications of a USAID shutdown (Brookings, 4 Feb. 2025) [text]

In freezing foreign aid, the US leaves people to die – and allows China to come to the rescue (The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2025) [text]

- See also related NBC News article.

*Dear Secretary Rubio: You Are Right, Foreign Assistance Works. Please Resume It (CGD Blog, 5 Feb. 2025) [text]

*"How Christian Groups Are Responding to Trump’s Foreign-Aid Freeze," Time Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025 [text]

How Trump’s Attack on USAID Undermines American Leadership and Security (Center for American Progress, 5 Feb. 2025) [text]

- See also related Washington Post article.

"The Truth about U.S. Foreign Aid: A Response to Secretary Marco Rubio," Forbes, 5 Feb. 2025 [text]

- See also related LinkedIn post on how "USAID was always an America-first agency."

"What story will humanitarians tell in a Trump world?," Inklings Newsletter, 5 Feb. 2025 [text]

The Future of Global Aid: Understanding USAID's Suspension and Its Global Impact (Univ. of Groningen, 6 Feb. 2025) [text]

"Killing U.S.A.I.D. is a Win for Autocrats Everywhere," New York Times, 6 Feb. 2025 [text]

Trump’s push to shut down USAID shows how international development is also about strategic interests (The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025) [text]

*The White House Demonstrates USAID’s Efficiency (CGD Blog, 6 Feb. 2025) [text]

*Afghanistan: What the US aid freeze means for the country (ACAPS, 7 Feb. 2025) [text]

"Ending USAID programs could undercut Trump's goal of slashing migration to the U.S., groups say," NBC News, 7 Feb 2025 [text]

Federal unions sue Trump over USAID dismantling, cite devastating humanitarian impact (JURIST, 7 Feb. 2025) [text]

- See also related Lawfare Blog post.

*Large Bipartisan Majorities Oppose Deep Cuts to Foreign Aid (Univ. of Maryland, 7 Feb. 2025) [text]

"Trump administration to keep only 294 USAID staff out of over 10,000 globally, sources say," Reuters, 7 Feb. 2025 [text]

"Foreign Aid Freeze Throws Global Programs into Chaos. Here is What to Know," New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025 [text]

"Judge blocks Trump plan to put thousands of USAID staff on leave," BBC News, 8 Feb. 2025 [text]

- See also related AP News article.

"U.S. Aid Agency’s Climate Programs Aimed to Curb Migration. Now They’re Gone," New York Times 8 Feb. 2025 [text]

"How local humanitarian groups are navigating the US aid freeze havoc," The New Humanitarian, 10 Feb. 2025 [text]

Oversight of USAID-Funded Humanitarian Assistance Programming Impacted by Staffing Reductions and Pause on Foreign Assistance (USAID Office of Inspector General, 10 Feb. 2025) [text]

- See also related PBS News article.

‘Stop Work!’ Aid and the Afghan economy after the halt to US aid (Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 Feb. 2025) [text via ReliefWeb]

US: Lifesaving Programs Remain Suspended Despite Waivers (Human Rights Watch, 10 Feb. 2025 [text]

For additional info and updates, see ICVA's "90 Day Suspension Order Resources" page.

*UPDATED

Related post:

- News: Dismantling USAID & Impact of Aid Freeze (3 Feb. 2025)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

A data-driven look at how promoting employment fosters refugee mental health (UNHCR Blog, Oct. 2024) [text]

Germany's migration policy: Balancing labor needs and deportation (InfoMigrants, Oct. 2024) [text]

ILO launches training to boost market-driven livelihood solutions for refugees and host communities in Jordan (ILO, Oct. 2024) [text]

JD Vance is Correct: Immigration Increases Housing Prices, and That’s Okay (CATO at Liberty Blog, Oct. 2024) [text]

- Focuses on the US. See also related Forbes article.

Reports: 

Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget and Economy (American Immigration Council, Oct. 2024) [text]

- See also related blog post.

The Role of Immigrant Workers in the Green Transition (Migration Policy Institute, Sept. 2024) [text]

User Journeys of Cash + Entrepreneurship Participants - The Venezuela Regional Crisis: A journey mapping case study from Colombia (VenEsperanza Consortium, July 2024) [text via ReliefWeb]

Using Poverty Lines to Measure Refugee Self-Reliance, Policy Research Working Paper, no. 10910 (World Bank, Sept. 2024) [text]

Workers’ Organizations Responding to the Needs of Refugees and Other Forcibly Displaced Persons (ILO, Sept. 2024) [text]

Journal articles:

"Negotiating fit into host country work settings: Understanding the interplay between the past and the present in the accounts of skilled refugees," Human Relations, OnlineFirst, 30 Sept. 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on the UK.

"Review of Jordan’s Government Policy on the Issuance of Work Permits to Aid Employment of Refugees," Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Works, vol. 9 (2023) [full-text]

"The role of temporality in refugees’ work-related meaningfulness-making," European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Latest Articles, 28 Sept. 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on Germany.

Related post:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (27 Sept. 2024)

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Short pieces:

Betting on Migration for Impact (Stanford Social Innovation Review, Feb. 2024) [text]

"How NIMBYs are helping to turn the public against immigrants," Vox, 18 Feb. 2024 [text]

- Focuses on US housing policy.

*Immigrants are not hurting U.S.-born workers: Six facts to set the record straight (Working Economics Blog, Feb. 2024) [text]

Immigrants do work that might not otherwise get done – bolstering the US economy (The Conversation, Feb. 2024) [text]

Refugees find work faster thanks to preventive mental health care (Radboud University, Feb. 2024) [text]

Unlocking America’s Economic Potential: Insights on Immigration from the CBO Budget and Economic Outlook Report (Immigration Impact Blog, Feb. 2024) [text]

Without prospects to remain: Nigerian and Ghanaian asylum seekers navigating the German labor market (Social Policy Worldwide, Feb. 2024) [text]

Reports:

Decent Work for Displaced People: Lessons from the Experiences of Venezuelan Migrant and Refugee Workers in Colombia and Brazil (ILO, Jan. 2024) [access]

- Follow link for report in English, Portuguese and Spanish. 

Enfoque temático: Integración socioeconómica de las poblaciones desplazadas por la fuerza en América Latina y el Caribe (IDB, OECD & UNHCR, Feb. 2024) [text]

- See also English version.

The Fiscal Impact of Refugees and Asylees at the Federal, State, and Local Levels from 2005-2019 (US HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Feb. 2024) [access]

- Follow link for technical report and brief. See also related press release and blot posts on The Family Room and Immigration Impact. 

The Productivity Effects of Forced Migration: Evidence from Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia (IDB, Dec. 2023) [text]

Venezuelan Immigration in Colombia: Labor Market Dynamics (Utah State Univ., Feb. 2024) [text]

Venezuelans in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru: A Development Opportunity (UNHCR & World Bank, Feb. 2024) [access]

- Follow link to companion webpage; the overview report is posted in English and Spanish, and individual reports and data are available for the four countries studied. See also related blog post.

Journal articles:

"'How Long Are You Gonna Stay?' Implications of Residents’ Perceptions of Refugees’ Occupational Future Time Perspective in Receiving Countries," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Latest Articles, 20 Feb. 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on Germany.

"Migrant Work, Gender and the Hostile Environment: A Human Rights Analysis," Industrial Law Journal, Advance Articles, 13 Jan. 2024 [open access]

- Focuses on the UK.

"Reliant on Labor Migration, the Global South Forges a New Social Contract with Its Citizens," Migration Information Source, 22 Feb. 2024 [text]

"Trade unions, refugees and immigrant labour: Has the attitude changed? The stance of Swedish blue-collar trade unions as evidenced by sentiment analysis," Industrial Relations Journal, Early View, 19 Feb. 2024 [open access]

"Unlicensed to Work: An Analysis of the United States' Human Rights Violation Against Asylum Seekers Due to the Unreasonable Waiting Period for Work Authorization, and How the Nation Forfeits an Economic Opportunity in the Process," Tulsa Law Review, vol. 59, no. 1 (2024) [full-text]

*UPDATED

Related posts:

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1 (12 Feb. 2024)

- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 2 (12 Feb. 2024) 

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects - Pt. 1

Blog posts & commentary:

"Actually, the Numbers Show That We Need More Immigration, Not Less," New York Times, 15 Jan. 2019 [text]

European Migration Network Study on Approaches to Unaccompanied Minors Following Status Determination Examines Right to Work (Right to Work for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Blog, Jan. 2019) [text]

How Central American Migrants Helped Revive the US Labor Movement (The Conversation, Jan. 2019) [text]

"A Wall Can’t Solve America’s Addiction to Undocumented Immigration," New York Times, 9 Jan. 2019 [text]

Reports & journal articles:

Building Bridges to Work: Final Report on the Given the Chance for Asylum Seekers Program (Brotherhood of St. Laurence, Dec. 2018) [text]

"Can Labor Immigration Work for Refugees?," Current History, vol. 118, no. 804 (Jan. 2019) [full-text via Migration Policy Centre]

Different Selection Processes, Different Outcomes? Comparing Labour Market Integration of Asylum Seekers, Resettled Refugees and Their Reunited Family Members in Finland (SSRN, Dec. 2018) [text]

Humanitarian Migrants, Work and Economic Security on the Urban Fringe (Brotherhood of St. Laurence, Nov. 2018) [text]

"'I would call it a social capital building exercise': The Nature of Networks That Enable Women with a Refugee Background to Access Sustainable Employment in Regional Australia," Journal of Social Inclusion, vol. 9, no. 2 (2018) [open access]

Integration of Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Remote Areas with Declining Populations, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Working Paper, no. 2018/03 (OECD, Dec. 2018) [text]

Is It Merely a Labor Supply Shock? Impacts of Syrian Migrants on Local Economies in Turkey, PERI Working Paper, no. 454 (Univ. of Massachusetts, Feb. 2018 [text]
- See also related Turkish work permit FAQ.

"The New Era of Refugee Investing," Stanford Social Innovation Review, 14 Jan. 2019 [text]

The Role of Non-state Actors in the Integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Working Paper, no. 2018/02 (OECD, Dec. 2018) [text]

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (21 Dec. 2018)

Tagged Publications.

Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects

Creating Income Opportunities for Refugees in East Africa (International Trade Center, Dec. 2016) [text]

"Germany’s Willkommenskultur: Trade Unions, Refugees and Labour Market Integration," Global Labour Journal, vol. 8, no. 1 (2017) [open access]

Increasing Women’s Access to the Labor Market in Syria: Training Needs Assessment Report (Orange, Nov. 2016) [text via ReliefWeb]

Livelihoods and Work Permits: A Rapid Assessment (UNHCR Livelihoods Unit, Nov. 2016) [text via ReliefWeb]

Refugee Integration: A Job is the Key (VoxEurop, Jan. 2017) [text]

Seventh Workshop of the Centre for Research in Active Labour Market Policy Effects (CAFE), Børkop, Denmark, 14-16 Dec. 2016 [info]
- Select "Program"; two papers available that focus on refugees.

*Syrians and Labor Market Integration: Dynamics in Turkey and Germany (German Marshall Fund, Feb. 2017) [text]

Work Permits for Asylum Seekers—Some Good News (The Asylumist Blog, Jan. 2017) [text]

*UPDATED

Related post:
- Thematic Focus: Work/Economic Aspects (19 Jan. 2017)

Tagged Publications.