Refugee employment experiences : utilising Tamil refugee skills in London.

This research investigates the skills that Tamil refugees who have moved to the UK
bring with them, the extent to which they utilise these skills, and how they adapt and
develop their skills for the UK labour market. Through qualitative research with
twenty-six Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, and a further seventeen interviews with
'elite' contacts in London, the refugees' experiences of integration through employment
are examined. Here the human and social capital factors influencing the use, or lack of
use, of skills within the Tamil refugee community are analysed. Particular focus is
placed on contrasting the practices of male and female refugees and the variations of
perceptions of individual success within wider perceptions of success in broader Tamil
societies. Further research undertaken with Tamils in Montreal offers a counterpoint to
the situations of refugees in London, providing an international perspective on the wider
Tamil diaspora. The concepts of success, gender. coping strategies, gratitude and
integration are used to theorise the employment experiences of individuals. With a few
exceptions, most previous research investigating the skills of immigrant groups has
focused on the demand for, rather than the supply of, skills. and on the economic, rather
than social, aspects of skill utilisation and adaptation. Research in this area has
important implications for policies that disperse asylum seekers away from their ethnic
communities. Supporting the utilisation of skills could contribute to overcoming some
skill shortages and integrating refugees into society, as well as enhancing the lives of
the refugees themselves. This thesis argues that the ethnic community and ethnic
economy playa crucial role in shaping the employment experiences of Tamil refugees.
The importance of the wider Tamil refugee community and the ability to be immersed
within the Tamil ethnic economy on a day-to-day basis, however also contributes to the
difficulties that Tamil refugees face integrating into wider societies. This is not a
unique situation. Tamil refugees face some similar experiences to other immigrant
groups. Consequently this work builds upon earlier work concerned with the migrationasylum
nexus, arguing that the differentiation between forced migrants and economic
migrants has been over-simplified when examining their experiences in host countries.