Integrating Bottom-up into Top-down: The Role of Local Actors in Labour Market Integration of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

Abstract

As Turkey has become one of the leading receiving countries for asylum seekers and refugees, not only new legislative initiatives regarding the legal status of Syrians, but also immigration policies have moved to the forefront of Turkey’s agenda. In parallel with recent developments, the new Regulation on Work Permits for People under Temporary Protection was enacted in 2016. Among the 3,5 million, almost half of Syrian refugees residing in Turkey are of working age population, yet the majority have been engaged in the informal labour market. We know little about how this permit to work takes effect at the local level. Drawing on structured interviews with local actors in Adana, this article shows that the absence of an integration policy drives local actors to engage in the formulation of their own integration approach, what I call “integration work”, which results in varying degrees of collaboration within the same province.