Reasons for Not Looking for Work

The survey also asked refugees age 16 and over who were not employed why they were not looking for employment. Poor health accounted for the largest proportion (38 percent) with an associated median age of 72. Attending school accounted for another 26 percent, with an associated median age of 18. Age accounted for the third largest proportion (13 percent) with an associated median age of 57. Limited English was the next highest group at 11 percent. Child care/other family responsibilities accounted for another 10 percent with an associated median age of 35. Furthermore, for those citing child care/other family responsibilities, 75 percent were under the age of 40, and 95 percent were female. Finally, a combination of Couldn't Find Job and other answers (most often associated with poor health and age) accounted for an additional 3 percent.

Due to the diversity within the sampled populations, these findings vary by country of origin. For example, nearly a quarter (24 percent) of the refugees in the 2003 survey who were from the former Soviet Union and did not work in the year prior to the survey were age 65 years and older, generally considered retirement age in the U.S.



Figure 2. Reason for Not Looking for Work for Refugees 16 and Over. Source: 2003 Survey

Note: Limited to refugees who did not work in previous year and were not looking for work at the time of the survey.

Work Experience in the Previous Year

A gauge of economic adjustment that shows a longer time frame than employment status (which only relates to employment during the week prior to the survey) is work experience, which measures not only the number of weeks worked in the past year, but the usual number of hours worked in a week.

As with employment status, the proportion of refugees with some work experience in the past year tends to increase with length of time in the U.S. Table II-5 shows that only about 46 percent of refugees who arrived in 2003 had worked, compared with 59 percent of those who arrived in the previous year, virtually the same proportion as that for the U.S. population as a whole. Refugees who arrived in the three previous years recorded very high rates of employment with about 70 percent of all arrivals during these years working during the survey year.

The refugees who had reported work in the year before the survey averaged 38 weeks of work during the survey year. This represents considerable slippage from previous surveys.

Table II-5  Work Experience of Adult Refugees in the 2003 Survey By Year of Arrival

	Number	Percent Distribution
Total Refugees 16 years and older	4,259	100.0
Worked*	2,756	64.7
50-52 weeks	1,367	32.1
Full-time	1,805	65.5
Average weeks worked	38.0
2003 arrivals	96	100.0
Worked	44	45.5
50-52 weeks**	-	0.0
Full-time	23	51.6
Average weeks worked	18.0
2002 arrivals	669	100.0
Worked	393	58.8
50-52 weeks	127	19.0
Full-time	264	67.2
Average weeks worked	30.3
2001 arrivals	1,072	100.0
Worked	738	68.9
50-52 weeks	375	35.0
Full-time	473	64.1
Average weeks worked	39.2
2000 arrivals	1,069	100.0
Worked	748	69.9
50-52 weeks	386	36.1
Full-time	458	61.3
Average weeks worked	38.4
1999 arrivals	994	100.0
Worked	711	71.5
50-52 weeks	410	41.3
Full-time	490	69.0
Average weeks worked	42.3
*Refugees who worked in the year prior to the survey. **As of October, 2003.

Workers reported an average of 43 weeks of work the year before and 46 the year before that. Fewer worked full-time also, with only 32 percent reporting work of 50-52 weeks in this survey, compared with 43 percent in the 2002 survey and 47 percent in the 2001 survey. This decline may be due, at least in part, on the effects of the lingering effects of the business slowdown and the softening in hiring new workers after the 9/11 attack.

Elapsed Time to First Job

How soon do refugees find work after coming to the U.S.?  The 2003 survey indicates that of those who have worked at all since coming to the U.S. (about 65 percent of refugees 16 years old and over in the survey), about 21 percent found work within one month of arrival, and 46 percent within three months, 68 percent within six months, and 82 percent by the end of twelve months in the U.S.  This represents a very accelerated pace of adjustment to the American job market and part of an on-going improvement for the past ten years. In the 1995 survey, for example, only 46 percent of job placements occurred in the first six months after arrival. The percentage taking more than a year to find first employment has similarly declined over the past decade. In the 2003 survey about 19 percent found their first job more than 12 months after arrival. This compares with the much longer time need in 1995, when almost a third of placement occurred after the first twelve months.

Factors Affecting Employment

Achieving economic self‑sufficiency depends on the employment prospects of adult refugees, which hinges on a mixture of transferable skills,  family size and composition (e.g., number of dependents to support), job opportunities, and the resources available in the communities in which refugees resettle. The occupational and educational skills that refugees bring with them to the U.S. also influence their prospects for self‑sufficiency, as can cultural factors.

The average number of years of education for all arrivals was approximately eleven (refer to Table II-6). The level of education prior to arrival has risen sharply over the past decade, most probably as a result of a significant increase in the proportion of refugees from Eastern Europe (particularly, the former Yugoslavia) and the former Soviet Union. In the 1993 survey for example, 85 percent of refugees from Southeast Asia had not received a primary or secondary school certificate. The 2003 survey revealed moderate disparities between the educational backgrounds among the seven refugee groups formed from the survey respondents.

The average years of education among ethnic groups ranged from a high of 12 for the Latin American population to a low of 9 for the African and Middle East population. Combining high school, technical school, university and medical degrees, Southeast Asia (52 percent) ranks highest for education while Africa (32 percent) ranks the lowest.

Refugees from Africa (28 percent) and the Middle East (20 percent) showed the largest proportion with no formal education before arriving in the U.S. Among refugees from the former Soviet Union, this was very rare-only two percent of adult arrivals had failed to complete primary grades. Southeast Asian, Eastern European, and Latin American refugees had also largely completed their primary education, with each group reporting at least a 90 percent completion rate.

Overall, 43 percent of refugees in the five-year population had completed their studies at a technical school or high school. Soviet refugees were the most advanced, with 56 percent receiving a degree prior to arrival. Only 26 percent from Africa could report a secondary school degree.

Table  II-6 - Educational and English Proficiency Characteristics of Selected Refugee Groups in the 2003 Survey

Education and Language Proficiency	Africa	Eastern Europe	Latin America	Middle East*	S.E. Asia**	Former Soviet Union	All
Average Years of Education before U.S.	8.7	10.7	12.3	9.4	10.3	10.9	10.5
Highest Degree before U.S.
None	28.0%	8.9%	9.8%	19.8%	7.6%	2.1%	14.5%
Primary School	23.7	23.0	14.7	24.6	33.4	13.9	18.5
Training in Refugee Camp	0.7	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	0.7
Technical School	2.8	5.6	15.2	4.8	0.0	22.0	11.3
Secondary School (or High School)	26.0	41.0	28.0	31.7	42.2	34.2	31.7
University Degree (Other than Medical)	3.2	8.8	16.1	7.9	10.2	10.5	9.9
Medical Degree	0.4	0.7	2.2	1.6	0.0	0.9	1.0
Other	0.0	0.2	0.9	0.0	0.0	2.2	0.9
Attended School/University (since U.S.)	36.4	18.8	12.1	31.7	38.0	23.5	21.3
Attendance School/University (since U.S.) for degree/certificate	34.1	18.2	10.5	30.2	23.3	20.4	18.9
High School	16.9	11.7	6.2	19.0	8.7	11.0	10.6
Associates Degree	6.1	1.7	1.4	2.4	1.1	5.2	2.9
Bachelor's Degree	8.4	3.0	0.3	6.3	10.2	2.9	3.4
Master's/Doctorate	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.0	1.1	0.3
Professional Degree	0.0	0.3	0.5	2.4	0.0	1.1	0.4
Other	0.1	0.2	1.8	0.0	1.1	0.0	0.6
Degree Received	3.4	1.8	2.8	0.8	9.1	0.7	2.3
At Time of Arrival
Percent Speaking no English	23.7	57.6	59.6	50.0	41.0	56.3	53.5
Percent Not Speaking English Well	28.8	23.9	25.7	40.5	54.6	28.6	27.5
Percent Speaking English Well or Fluently	36.1	9.5	2.9	6.3	0.0	3.6	9.3
At Time of  2003 Survey
Percent Speaking no English	6.9	8.3	21.5	13.5	33.8	10.8	15.1
Percent Not Speaking English Well	24.7	31.4	35.1	38.1	46.0	46.3	38.1
Note: Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year population consisting of Amerasians, entrants, and refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1998 to 2003. These data are self-reported characteristics. Professional degree refers to a law degree or medical degree. *Estimates for this region were based only on data from 2002 - 2003 cohort due to the limited number of respondents from other cohorts. ** The "Vietnam" category in the last year's report is combined into this region due to the small number of respondents.

The 2003 survey shows that refugees had made solid progress in learning English. Overall, 11 percent of arriving refugees had completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree or other degree, such as a medical degree, prior to arrival in the U.S. Refugees from Latin America could claim the largest proportion of refugees with advanced degrees (18 percent). Only four percent from Africa could make that claim.

Many refugees continued their education after arrival in the U.S. Overall, 11 percent attended high school, three percent attended school for an associate degree, and five percent attended college for a bachelor's degree or professional degree.

It should be noted that even though the survey asks about years of schooling and the highest degree or certificate obtained prior to coming to the U.S., the correlation between years of schooling and degrees or certifications among different countries is not necessarily the same. For example, in some countries a primary degree is awarded after only four or six years of attendance. Consequently, some degree of caution is necessary when interpreting education statistics. Almost 54 percent of refugees in the 2003 survey reported speaking no English when they arrived in the U.S. (refer to Table II-6). At the time of arrival, majorities from Latin America (60 percent), Eastern Europe (58 percent), the former Soviet Union (56 percent), and the Middle East (50 percent) spoke no English. Refugees from Africa, on the other hand, spoke English much more commonly, with fewer than 24 percent speaking no English at the time of arrival.

Table II-7 - English Proficiency and Associated EPR by Year of Arrival

Year of Arrival	Percent Speaking No English (EPR)	Percent Not Speaking English Well (EPR)	Percent Speaking English Well or Fluently (EPR)
At Time of Arrival
2003	42.4 (52.3)	38.5 (33.9)	18.5 (41.3)
2002	63.7 (53.7)	25.9 (54.1)	6.0 (71.5)
2001	54.8 (60.6)	25.2 (62.1)	10.9 (64.5)
2000	61.1 (49.0)	25.2 (62.6)	9.0 (74.6)
1999	47.4 (59.2)	33.3 (70.4)	11.1 (68.0)
Total	53.5 (54.7)	27.5 (61.5)	9.3 (68.3)
At Time of Survey
2003	10.9 (38.9)	43.5 (51.7)	45.6 (35.4)
2002	18.5 (40.5)	50.0 (56.6)	30.8 (57.1)
2001	14.5 (42.4)	40.9 (58.9)	42.8 (71.8)
2000	17.6 (48.7)	39.5 (52.0)	42.5 (59.4)
1999	14.3 (64.8)	33.5 (50.4)	50.5 (69.5)
Total	15.1 (48.1)	38.1 (53.4)	42.3 (64.8)
Note:  As of October 2003. Not seasonally adjusted. Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1999-2003. These figures refer to self-reported characteristics of refugees.

English fluency improved considerably by the time of the survey interview, with only 15 percent of all refugees speaking no English. In addition, many other refugees could claim fluency. Sixty-eight percent of African refugees spoke fluently by the time of the interview, followed closely by refugees from Eastern Europe (60 percent).

Many refugees, however, had failed to progress in this important skill. By the time of the interview, 34 percent of refugees from Southeast Asia still spoke no English, followed by Latin America (22), Middle East (14 percent), the former Soviet Union (11 percent), Eastern Europe (8 percent), and Africa (7 percent). Refugees from Southeast Asia, unlike most other refugee groups, showed only moderate improvement over time. By the time of the interview, 34 percent still spoke no English.

TABLE II-8 - Service Utilization by Selected Refugee Groups and for Year of Arrival: 2003 Survey

Type of Service Utilization	Africa	Eastern Europe	Latin America	Middle East*	S.E. Asia**	Former Soviet Union	All
ELT since arrival Inside High School	12.6%	11.4%	2.6%	3.2%	0.0%	10.6%	7.8%
ELT since arrival Outside of High School	22.4	18.6	30.4	49.2	4.4	34.8	25.5
Job training since arrival	8.0	6.6	5.0	4.8	24.7	8.3	7.1
Currently attending ELT Inside High School	12.6	11.4	2.6	3.2	0.0	10.6	7.8
Currently attending ELT Outside of High School	16.1	14.7	11.7	27.0	20.0	31.5	17.0
Type of Service Utilization by Year of Arrival		2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	All
ELT since Arrival Inside High School		5.4%	8.6%	8.3%	9.4%	7.0%	7.8%
ELT since Arrival Outside of High School		37.3	44.7	28.6	20.3	15.3	25.5
Job training since Arrival		6.6	7.7	9.1	8.8	3.9	7.1
Currently Attending ELT Inside High School		5.4	8.6	8.3	9.4	7.0	7.8
Currently Attending ELT Outside of High School		17.6	24.9	14.8	14.4	19.9	17.0
Note:  Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees on all nationalities who arrived in the years 1999-2003. In order that English language training (ELT) not be confused with English high school instruction, statistics for both populations are given. * Estimates for this region were based only on data from 2002 - 2003 cohort due to the limited number of respondents from other cohorts. **  The "Vietnam" category in the last year's report is combined into this region due to the small number of respondents.

TABLE II - 9 - Hourly Wages, Home Ownership, and Self-Sufficiency by Year of Arrival: 2003 Survey

Year of Arrival	Hourly Wages of Employed -Current Job	Own Home or Apartment	Rent Home or Apartment	Public Assistance Only	Both Public Assistance and Earnings	Earnings Only
2003	$8.30	5.1%	91.30	25.2	44.2	14.6
2002	8.50	9.2	90.1	12.7	33.8	48.8
2001	8.20	8.8	88.1	10.0	18.7	67.3
2000	10.0	13.7	84.0	5.1	15.0	67.1
1999	9.70	33.3	65.3	8.8	18.3	60.1
Total Sample	9.20	18.7	79.0	9.3	19.6	61.6
Note:  Data refer to refugees 16 and over in the five-year sample population consisting of Amerasians, Entrants, and Refugees of all nationalities who arrived in the years 1999-2003. These figures refer to self-reported characteristics of refugees.

The Latin American group (22 percent) also recorded large numbers without English language proficiency, perhaps because a large proportion of Cuban entrants reside in South Florida where fluency in English is not always required for employment.

The ability to speak English is one of the most important factors influencing the economic self-sufficiency of refugees (refer to Table II-7). Forty-three percent of all refugees indicated that they spoke English well or fluently (at the time of the survey). Another 38 percent indicated that they did not speak English well, while 15 percent reported that they spoke no English at all. There was a moderate difference in the employment rate due to speaking no English. Those speaking English well or fluently had an EPR of 65 percent, while those speaking no English had an EPR of 48 percent. Historically, most refugees improve their English language proficiency over time. Those who do not are the least likely to be employed. Of the 15 percent of the survey respondents who spoke no English at the time of the survey, the median age was 64. Females comprised 55 percent and males comprised 45 percent. The majority came from Latin America (37 percent),[1] followed by Southeast Asia (20 percent), the former Soviet Union (16 percent), Eastern Europe (13 percent), Middle East (7 percent), and Africa (6 percent).

During the past 12 months, 26 percent of all refugees attended English Language Training (ELT) outside of high school (see Table II-8). Refugees from the Middle East (49 percent), former Soviet Union (35 percent), and Latin America (30 percent) have attended ELT outside of high school the most, while Eastern European (19 percent) and Southeast Asian refugees (4 percent) have attended ELT the least. For the same period, the proportion of refugees who have attended job-training classes (7 percent) lags far behind ELT (26 percent). Overall, only 7 percent of all survey respondents had attended job training (refer to Table II-8). Twenty-five percent of Southeast Asian refugees attended job training since arrival, significantly higher than other refugee groups, none of which exceeded 8 percent.

Figure 5. Average Hourly Wages of Employed Refugees by Year of Survey and Year of Arrival

Earnings and Utilization of Public Assistance

The earnings of employed refugees generally rise with length of residence in the U.S. (refer to Table II-9). For 2003 arrivals, the average hourly wage was $8.35.[2]  For 1999 arrivals, the average 2003 hourly wage was $9.65 per hour (a difference of 14 percent) for those in the 2003 survey. The overall hourly wage of employed refugees in the five-year population was $9.20. This represents an increase from $8.90, $8.83, $8.29 reported in the 2001, 2000, and 1999 surveys, respectively, not adjusting for inflation. However, there was a slight retreat from the 2002 survey year, which reported an overall annual wage of $9.37. Another way of looking at these earnings data is to follow refugees who arrived in the same year over time (see Table II-10). For example, the average wage for 1999 arrivals was $6.88 in 1999, $7.88 in 2000, $8.23 in 2001, $9.48 in 2002, and $9.65 in 2003 (these figures are not adjusted for inflation which was about 3 percent a year during this period).[3] This increase in earnings over time for refugees is illustrated in Figure 5. Looking at the arrival years vertically shows the increase for a particular arrival group over time, while each line itself shows the average wages for the refugees in that particular survey by arrival year.

From the 2003 survey, the overall hourly wage of employed refugees who spoke English well or fluently at the time of the survey was $9.50, compared to $8.31 for refugees who did not speak English well, and $7.85 for refugees who did not speak English at all. Upon closer examination, refugees who spoke English well or fluently at the time of the survey accounted for 64 percent of jobs that paid over $7.50 per hour, compared to 29 percent of refugees who did not speak English well, and only eight percent of refugees who did not speak English at all.

Year of Survey	Average Hourly Wages of Employed	Own Home or Apartment	Rent Home or Apartment	Public Assistance Only	Both Public Assistance and Earnings	Earnings Only
2003 Survey	$9.20	18.7%	79.0%	9.3%	19.6%	61.6%
2002 Survey	9.40	13.4	85.7	8.7	18.7	68.8
2001 Survey	8.90	7.2	91.9	14.0