The career adaptive refugee: Exploring the structural and personal barriers to refugee resettlement

Abstract

In this paper I advance a job-search model to explain the structural and personal barriers between career adaptability and refugee resettlement success. Building from career construction and social network theories, I argue that while career adaptability—or the ability of an individual to navigate career transitions—generally shares a strong positive relationship with objective markers of success (e.g., pay and job quality), this is not necessarily generalizable to refugees who likely experience downward occupational mobility. Specifically, I posit that as a method of adaptation, refugees prioritize the generation of networks for social safety over acquiring jobs that align with their skillset. Yet, doing so limits their objective resettlement success, characterized by lower status jobs than previous employment, low pay, and fewer opportunities for host country language ability growth. Career adaptive refugees are even more likely to focus on network generation due to discrimination threat and host country language ability upon arrival. Further, gender, education, and prior experience hinder a refugee's ability to obtain a job commensurate with experience and qualifications prior to migration. However, because being embedded in a network creates social resources such as support and social legitimacy, a refugee's newly created network acts as a key mechanism through which career adaptive refugees experience high physical and mental health, stronger social ties, and higher life satisfaction. Recommendations for testing these propositions and methodological considerations are discussed.