Episode 257: Supporting the Needs of Refugees

Border crossings coming into the United States are at some of their highest levels in recent history. Cities like Chicago and New York are struggling to provide services while the immigration system is running out of funding and faces a massive backlog of asylum applications. The situation is looking tough for many asylum seekers, but what happens when individuals make it through the system and are granted refugee status?

Enter refugee resettlement agencies – organizations that provide food, shelter, and of course, job placement to newly arrived refugees. But according to sociologist Dr. Nicole Kreisberg, their current strategy of job placement is deeply flawed: prioritizing immediate yet low-wage work over long-term reliable employment. In this archive episode, originally released in August 2022, Kreisberg spoke to us about the harms of this strategy and what needs to be done to truly support incoming refugees.

For more on this topic:

• Check out Nicole Kreisberg’s SSN brief, co-written by Els de Graauw and Shannon Gleeson: Refugee Settlement Should Look Beyond First Job Placements
• Read their research paper: Explaining Refugee Employment Declines: Structural Shortcomings in Federal Resettlement Support