13. Economic Integration of Refugees: A Cross-country Comparison of Slovenia, Spain and Austria

Migration has been an integral part of human societies, both in the present and in the past. It is therefore important to have appropriate integration policies and long-term migration strategies in place at both the national and the EU level. Refugees are one of the most vulnerable social groups, due to their often-traumatic experiences and persecution and due to the process of forced migration. It therefore needed a support system and clear policies to mitigate their arrival in a new/host country. This chapter offers a comparative study of integration policy in one specific field, i.e. refugee employment or/and integration into labour markets in three countries: Slovenia, Austria and Spain. We present the findings of a research conducted through semi-structured interviews with twenty-five refugees from three countries, most of whom arrived in the aforementioned countries after 2015 (so-called 2025 refugee crisis in Europe) and have already been integrated into the labour market in their new societies. Interviews were also conducted with social workers and professionals who are working with and for the refugees in new environments. The interviews aimed to find out the characteristics of job-search methods, employer’’ attitudes, coping with barriers and the general situation in the new societies. The findings show that the analysed countries face broadly similar barriers, but that these are lower in countries with more experience in dealing with migration. Further, early integration has a significant impact on the timing of the entry into labour market. The employment process accelerates and improves integration. Entry into the labour market and consequent access to income makes an important contribution to the autonomous life of refugees within their new societies. We can only declare that a policy for integrating refugees into the labour market is successful when it allows refugees to gain economic independence and, further, when their position is comparable to that of the majority population.