March 21, 2019 FAC/STAFF

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You are Invited to a Mellen Research Seminar Series

Mellen Research Seminar Lecture from Dr. Vickie Gallagher (ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, CSU)

Date and Time:
1:30pm – 3pm on Friday, March 22, 2019 in the College of Arts and Science Dean’s Conference Room (Admin Annex) B-101.

Presentation Title:
“A 360 Degree Review of Refugee Employment in the US.”

ABSTRACT:
A 360 Degree Review of Refugee Employment in the US
The refugee experience in the US is a complicated multidimensional phenomenon. There are a number of perspectives that require insights in order to most appropriately address the needs of refugees as well as the needs of US employers. Our research aims to gain a 360 degree view based on insights from a myriad of constituents. Building on the work of Baran, Valcea, Porter and Gallagher (2018), and with the help of a partner refugee services organization, we interviewed the following stakeholders: refugee services workers, employers who hire refugees, as well as recent refugees from Syria, the Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Refugee services workers view their role as specialized placement officers who are finding a match between skills and abilities; however, they face a number of additional obstacles among their refugee clients, such as significant variation in levels of education, English as a second language, and significant cultural differences. Refugees, on the other hand, are often desperate and eager to take any form of employment that they can find, yet some have unrealistic expectations of their earning potential. Each of the three populations noted above have unique opportunities and challenges as well. Finally, employers appear to be on two ends of the continuum. At one end of the spectrum, they enter the arrangement from a pure staffing necessity (particularly in this era of low unemployment) and they evolve to find an appreciation for the diversity and morality of hiring refugees. At the other end, hiring of refugees fits well within their mission and values, and they come to appreciate the low turnover based on the loyalty refugees feel toward their employer.

Early findings and insights from our qualitative research, as well as secondary data, will be shared.

Register with Mellen Chair Admin at: pwashington@jcu.edu (x4459)