Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 1997
II. REFUGEES IN THE UNITED STATES
This section characterizes the Amerasian, asylee (from Northern Iraq), entrant, and refugee population (hereafter, referred to as refugees unless noted otherwise) in the United States, focusing primarily on those who have entered since 1983. All tables referenced by number appear in Appendix A.
Nationality of United States Refugee Population
Southeast Asians remain the largest refugee group among recent arrivals. Of the approximately 1,440,000 refugees who have arrived in the United States since 1983, about 43 percent have fled from nations of Southeast Asia (refer to Table 1). Based on State Department figures for the period FY 1975 through FY 1997 (refer to Illustration 1 below), about 57 percent have fled from nations of Southeast Asia.
Vietnamese continue to be the majority refugee group from Southeast Asia, although the ethnic composition of the entering population has become more diverse over time. About 135,000 Southeast Asians fled to America at the time of the collapse of the Saigon government in 1975. Over the next four years, large numbers of boat people escaped Southeast Asia and were admitted to the U.S. The majority of these arrivals were Vietnamese. The Vietnamese share has declined gradually, however, especially since persons from Cambodia and Laos began to arrive in larger numbers in 1980.
For the period FY 1983 through FY 1997, Vietnamese refugees made up 70 percent of refugee arrivals from Southeast Asia, while 18 percent were from Laos, and 12 percent were from Cambodia. Parenthetically, slightly less than half the refugees from Laos are from the highlands of that nation and are culturally distinct from the Lowland Lao. More recently, refugees from outside of Southeast Asia have arrived in larger numbers. Beginning in FY 1988, refugees arriving from the former Soviet Union have surpassed refugees arriving from Vietnam. Only in FY 1995 were refugees from the former Soviet Union eclipsed by refugees from Cuba.
|
ILLUSTRATION 1 - Summary Of Refugee Admissions (FY 1975 - FY 1982)
|
||||||
|
FISCAL YEAR |
Africa |
Asia |
Eastern Europe |
Soviet Union |
Latin America |
Near East Asia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1975 |
0 |
135,000 |
1,947 |
6,211 |
3,000 |
0 |
|
1976 |
0 |
15,000 |
1,756 |
7,450 |
3,000 |
0 |
|
1977 |
0 |
7,000 |
1,755 |
8,191 |
3,000 |
0 |
|
1978 |
0 |
20,574 |
2,245 |
10,688 |
3,000 |
0 |
|
1979 |
0 |
76,521 |
3,393 |
24,449 |
7,000 |
0 |
|
1980 |
955 |
163,799 |
5,025 |
28,444 |
6,662 |
2,231 |
|
1981 |
2,119 |
131,139 |
6,704 |
13,444 |
2,017 |
3,829 |
|
1982 |
3,326 |
73,522 |
10,780 |
2,756 |
602 |
6,369 |
|
Subtotal |
6,400 |
622,555 |
33,605 |
101,633 |
28,281 |
12,429 |
|
1983-1997 Subtotal |
58,761 |
622,734 |
135,314 |
402,315 |
38,734 |
90,502 |
|
1975-1997 Grand Total |
65,161 |
1,245,289 |
168,919 |
503,948 |
67,015 |
102,931 |
Beginning with FY 1983, refugees from five countries represented 78 percent of all arrivals. Vietnamese refugees retain the largest share of arrivals (30 percent) followed by refugees from the former Soviet Union (28 percent), Cuba and Laos (each eight percent), and Cambodia (five percent). For FY 1997, refugees from five countries represented 89 percent of all arrivals. The former Soviet Union was in first place with 33 percent followed by the former Yugoslavia with 26 percent followed by Iraq with 11 percent followed by Cuba with ten percent and Vietnam with nine percent. Illustration 2 (below) highlights the top five rankings of arrivals by country of origin for the period FY 1983 through FY 1997, and FY 1997.
ILLUSTRATION 2: Arrivals by Country of Origin for FY 1983 through 1997, and FY 1997
Country Arrivals
for Arrivals for
of Origin FY 83 - FY97 FY 1997
Cambodia 5
Cuba 4 4
Iraq -3
Laos 3
Soviet Union (former) 21
Vietnam 1 5
Yugoslavia (former) - 2
Geographic Location of Refugees
Southeast Asian refugees have settled in every State and one territory of the United States (refer to Table 2). From FY 1983 through FY 1997, more Southeast Asians initially resettled in California than any other State (36 percent). For the same period, more non-Southeast Asians resettled in New York than any other State (22 percent). Illustration 3 (below) highlights the top five rankings for both Southeast Asian and non-Southeast Asian arrivals by State of initial resettlement for the period FY 1983 through FY 1997.
The majority of refugees initially resettled in California were from Vietnam (41 percent) followed by refugees from the former Soviet Union (21 percent). Seventy-two percent of the refugees initially resettled in New York were from the former Soviet Union followed by refugees from Vietnam (eight percent). Seventy-eight percent of the refugees initially resettled in Florida were from Cuba and Haiti. Sixty-eight percent were from Cuba (69 percent were entrants and 31 percent were refugees). Another 10 percent were from Haiti (89 percent were entrants and 11 percent were refugees). In Texas, refugees from Vietnam (56 percent) and refugees from the former Soviet Union (five percent) made up the largest proportion. In the State of Washington, refugees from Vietnam (35 percent) and refugees from the former Soviet Union (34 percent) made up the largest proportion.
ILLUSTRATION 3: Rankings for Southeast Asian and Non-Southeast Asian Arrivals by State of Initial Resettlement for FY 1983 - FY 1997
S.E. Non-S.E.
State Asian Arrivals Asian Arrivals
California 1 2
Florida - 3
Illinois - 4
Minnesota 4 -
New York 5 1
Texas 2 -
Washington 3 5
California and New York have resettled the greatest number of refugees to date (refer to Table 3). With the exception of FY 1984 and FY 1985, California followed by New York received the greatest number of refugees each fiscal year until FY 1995. In FY 1984 and FY 1985, California received the greatest number of refugees followed by Texas followed by New York. In FY 1995 and FY 1996, Florida received more refugees than California or New York. And in FY 1997, New York received the greatest number of refugees followed by California and Texas. Illustration 4 (below) highlights the top five rankings for all arrivals by State of initial resettlement for FY 1983 through FY 1997 as well as for FY 1997.
ILLUSTRATION 4: Arrivals by State of Initial Resettlement for FY 1983 through 1997, and FY 1997
Arrivals
for Arrivals for
State FY83 -97 FY 1997
California 12
Florida 3 3
Illinois 5
New York 2 1
Texas 4
Washington 54
The majority of arrivals initially resettled in New York were from the former Soviet Union (72 percent) and the former Yugoslavia (19 percent). The majority of refugees initially resettled in California were also from the former Soviet Union (49 percent) followed by refugees from Vietnam (18 percent). Seventy-two percent of the refugees initially resettled in Florida were from Cuba (73 percent were entrants and 27 percent were refugees) with another 15 percent from the former Yugoslavia. Sixty-five percent of the refugees initially resettled in Washington were from the former Soviet Union with another 15 percent from the former Yugoslavia. In Illinois, refugees from the former Yugoslavia (59 percent) made up the largest proportion followed by refugees from the former Soviet Union (27 percent). (Refer to Table 4).
A number of explanations for secondary migration by refugees have been suggested: employment opportunities, the pull of an established ethnic community, more generous welfare benefits, better training opportunities, reunification with relatives, or a congenial climate.
The Refugee Assistance Amendments of 1982 amended the Refugee Act of 1980 (section 412(a)(3)) directing ORR to compile and maintain data on the secondary migration of refugees within the United States. In response to this directive, ORR developed the Refugee State-of-Origin Report (ORR-11) for estimating secondary migration. Beginning with FY 1983, the principal use of the ORR-11 data has been to allocate ORR social service funds to States. The most recent compilation was September 30, 1997.
The method of estimating secondary migration is based on the first three digits of social security numbers which are assigned geographically in blocks by State. With the assistance of their sponsors, almost all arriving refugees apply for social security numbers immediately upon arrival in the United States. Therefore, the first three digits of a refugee's social security number are a good indicator of his or her initial State of residence in the U.S. (The current system replaced an earlier program in which blocks of social security numbers were assigned to Southeast Asian refugees during processing before they arrived in the U.S. The block of numbers reserved for Guam was used in that program, which ended in late 1979). If a refugee currently residing in California has a social security number assigned in Nevada, for example, the method treats that person as having moved from initial resettlement in Nevada to current residence in California.
States participating in the refugee program provide ORR-11 data for refugees currently receiving assistance or services in their programs (for the most recent three-year period). Compilation of ORR-11 data by all reporting States results in a 53 X 53 State (and territory) matrix which contains information on migration from each State to every other State. In effect, State A's report shows how many people have migrated in from other States, as well as how many people who were initially placed in State A are currently there. The reports from every other State, when combined, show how many people have left State A. The fact that the reports are based on current assistance or service populations means, of course, that coverage does not extend to all refugees who have entered since 1975. However, the bias of this method is toward refugees who have entered in the past three years, the portion of the refugee population of greatest interest to ORR.
Available information also indicates that much of the secondary migration of refugees takes place during their first few years after arrival and that the refugee population becomes relatively stabilized in its geographic distribution after an initial adjustment period. The matrix of all possible pairs of in- and out-migration between States can be summarized into total in- and out-migration figures reported for each State. Examination of the detailed State-by-State matrix showed several migration patterns: a strong movement in and out of California; a strong movement in and moderate movement out of Florida; a strong movement into Iowa, Minnesota and Washington; a strong movement out of New York and Texas; and some population exchange between contiguous or geographically close States (refer to Table 5).
Almost every State experienced both gains and losses through secondary migration. However, only 16 States gained additional refugees through secondary migration. California recorded the largest number of out-migrants (2,766) along with a substantial number of in-migrants (1,993). Florida also recorded large numbers of out-migrants (1,065) along with a substantial amount of in-migrants (2,780).
The State of Minnesota (2,589) recorded the largest net migration gain. The primary sources for the migration into Minnesota were California (726), Virginia (322), and New York (225). The second and third largest net migration gains were recorded by Washington and Florida (2,533 and 1,715, respectively). The primary sources for the migration into Washington were California (775), New York (500), and Texas (317) whereas the primary sources for the migration into Florida were New York (384), New Jersey (324), and Texas (272). Iowa also recorded a substantial net migration gain (1,279).
The largest net migration loss was recorded by the State of New York followed by Texas (1,736 and 1,560, respectively). The primary sources for the migration out of New York were Iowa (542), Washington (500), and Florida (384) whereas the primary sources for the migration out of Texas were California (295), Florida (258), and Washington (213). The District of Columbia, Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania also recorded substantial net migration losses.
The Refugee Act of 1980, and the Refugee Assistance amendments enacted in 1982 and 1986, stress the achievement of employment and economic self-sufficiency by refugees as soon as possible after their arrival in the United States. This involves a balance among three elements: the employment potential of refugees, including their education, skills, English language competence, and health; the needs that they as individuals and members of families have for financial resources, whether for food, housing, or child-rearing; and the economic environment in which they settle, including the availability of jobs, housing, and other local resources. Past refugee surveys have found that the economic adjustment of refugees to the U.S. has been a successful and generally rapid process. During 1997, the process of refugee economic adjustment appears to have followed patterns similar to those of recent years, as discussed below.
Current Employment Status of Refugees
In 1997, ORR completed its 26th survey of a national sample of refugees selected from the population of all refugees who arrived between May 1, 1992, through April 30, 1997. The survey collected basic biographical information, as well as data on (1) education, (2) English language training, (3) job training, and (4) labor force participation of each adult member of the household. The survey also collected family housing, income, and welfare utilization data.
The 1997 survey indicates that refugees appear to find employment at a lower rate than the general population of the U.S., but that they also appear to improve their economic circumstances over time. Employment rates have gone up and unemployment rates have gone down four consecutive years in a row. To evaluate the economic progress of refugees, ORR used three common measures of employment effort: the employment-to-population ratio (or EPR), the labor force participation rate, and the unemployment rate.
Table 1 presents the EPR in October, 1997 for refugees 16 and over in the five-year population. The survey found that the overall EPR for all refugees was 54 percent (63 percent for males and 45 percent for females). These employment data are three percentage points higher than the EPR recorded in the 1996 survey and 12 percentage points higher than the EPR recorded in the 1995 survey. By contrast, the EPR for the U.S. population was 64 percent in 1997. Although lower than that of the U.S. population as a whole, refugee employment appears to increase with each year of residence in the U.S. While the overall EPR for the 1997 arrivals was only 50 percent, the EPR of refugees who had arrived in previous years reached 58 percent for refugees who arrived in 1992.
|
TABLE 1 - Employment Status of Refugees by Year of Arrival and Sex
|
|||||||||
|
Employment Rate (EPR) |
Labor Force Participation Rate |
Unemployment Rate |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Year of Arrival |
All |
Male |
Female |
All |
Male |
Female |
All |
Male |
Female |
|
1997 |
50.2% |
63.5% |
37.6% |
54.8% |
69.7% |
40.5% |
8.2% |
9.4% |
6.3% |
|
1996 |
50.1 |
61.5 |
38.3 |
57.5 |
68.7 |
46.0 |
13.1 |
10.6 |
16.8 |
|
1995 |
57.6 |
65.0 |
50.1 |
61.4 |
68.4 |
54.4 |
6.2 |
5.0 |
7.7 |
|
1994 |
52.3 |
61.5 |
43.6 |
54.8 |
64.3 |
46.1 |
4.6 |
4.3 |
5.4 |
|
1993 |
52.3 |
59.6 |
45.1 |
56.1 |
63.1 |
49.1 |
6.8 |
5.4 |
8.2 |
|
1992 |
58.0 |
67.7 |
48.7 |
62.2 |
71.0 |
53.8 |
6.9 |
4.8 |
9.6 |
|
Total |
53.9 |
62.8 |
45.1 |
58.1 |
66.8 |
49.5 |
7.3 |
6.0 |
8.9 |
|
Sample |
|||||||||
|
U.S. |
63.8 |
71.3 |
56.8 |
67.1 |
75.0 |
59.8 |
4.9 |
4.9 |
5.0 |
|
Rates |
|||||||||
From the 1997 data, ORR also calculated the labor force participation
rate for refugees 16 and over in the five-year population (refer to Table
1). This rate is closely related to the EPR, except it includes individuals
looking for work as well as those currently employed. In October, 1997,
the overall labor force participation rate for the five-year refugee population
was 58 percent (67 percent for males and 50 percent for females). Like
the EPR, the labor force participation rate of refugees is lower than
that of the U.S. population (67 percent in 1997). However, whereas the
overall labor force participation rate for the 1997 survey was only 58
percent, the labor force participation rate for refugees who had arrived
in previous years reached 62 percent for refugees who arrived in 1992.
A comparison of employment measures for each year, i.e., 1992 through 1997 (refer to Table 1) indicates that for 1997 arrivals, the EPR was 50 percent and the labor force participation rate was 55 percent; a difference of five percent. For FY 1992 arrivals, the difference between the EPR and labor force participation dropped to four percent. For all survey respondents, the difference between the EPR and labor force participation rate diminishes with time. Similarly, the unemployment rate drops with time. The survey found that the unemployment rate for all refugees was seven percent (six percent for males and nine percent for females). The unemployment rate was eight percent for 1997 arrivals and seven percent for FY 1992 arrivals. The unemployment rate for refugees in their fifth year of residence was approximately two percentage points higher than the unemployment rate for the U.S. (4.9 percent). However, by focusing on aggregated data only, important differences between refugee groups are obscured.
|
TABLE 2 - Employment Status of Selected Refugee Groups by Sex
|
||||||||
|
Employment Measure |
Africa |
Latin America |
Middle East |
Eastern Europe |
Former Soviet Union |
Vietnam |
Other S.E. Asia |
All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Employment-to- Population Ratio (EPR) |
42.0-% |
69.6% |
54.0% |
66.8% |
43.5% |
58.0% |
30.9% |
53.9%
|
|
-Males |
49.9% |
78.5% |
79.3% |
72.1% |
52.4% |
63.6% |
37.1% |
62.8% |
|
-Females |
35.3% |
58.6% |
17.4% |
61.9% |
36.0% |
52.3% |
25.3% |
45.1%
|
|
Worked at any point since arrival |
48.9 |
71.5 |
58.5 |
69.4 |
49.0 |
58.5 |
30.9 |
56.7 |
|
-Males |
54.8 |
79.2 |
84.7 |
75.7 |
57.3 |
64.3 |
37.1 |
65.3 |
|
-Females |
44.0 |
62.1 |
20.6 |
63.5 |
42.0 |
52.6 |
25.3 |
48.2
|
|
Labor Force Participation Rate |
47.7 |
73.4 |
57.8 |
70.4 |
52.8 |
58.5 |
31.5 |
58.1 |
|
-Males |
56.7 |
80.6 |
83.0 |
75.1 |
62.4 |
64.1 |
38.6 |
66.8 |
|
-Females |
41.1 |
64.3 |
21.2 |
65.9 |
44.7 |
52.9 |
25.4 |
49.5
|
|
Unemployment Rate |
11.7 |
5.1 |
6.6 |
5.0 |
17.7 |
1.0 |
2.6 |
7.3 |
|
-Males |
11.8 |
2.5 |
4.4 |
3.9 |
16.1 |
1.0 |
4.5 |
6.0 |
|
Females |
13.6 |
9.1 |
20.0 |
6.2 |
19.6 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
8.9 |
By dis-aggregating the data, the EPR, the labor force participation rate,
and the unemployment rate provide additional insights into the economic
adjustment of refugees. Table 2 reveals significant differences between
the employment rates of the seven refugee groups formed from the survey
respondents. The EPR for the seven refugee groups ranged from a high of
70 percent for Latin America and 67 percent for Eastern Europe (exceeding
the EPR for the U.S. population), to a low of 31 percent for Other Southeast
Asia and 42 percent for Africa. Refugees from Eastern Europe, Latin America,
and Vietnam have sustained the highest EPR whereas refugees from Southeast
Asia and Africa have endured the lowest EPR across the three most recent
surveys. The labor force participation rate followed the same pattern
as the EPR. The unemployment rate was highest for refugees from the former
Soviet Union and lowest for refugees from Vietnam and Other Southeast
Asia. It is interesting to note that the largest disparity between the
EPR and labor force participation rate was for the former Soviet Union
(consistent with their unemployment rate). However, refugees from Vietnam
and Other Southeast Asia exhibited the smallest disparities between the
EPR and labor force participation rate (although Vietnam had a relatively
high EPR and Other Southeast Asia had the lowest EPR).
Table 2 also presents the proportion of refugees who have ever held employment since arrival in the U.S. Overall, the proportion of refugees currently working is about 95 percent of the refugees who have ever worked (ranging from a low of 86 percent for Africa to a high of 99 percent for Vietnam). The comparable figure from the 1996 and 1995 surveys is 93 percent (ranging from a low of 76 percent for Africa to a high of 99 percent for Vietnam in the 1996 survey and a low of 80 percent for Africa to a high of 98 percent for Eastern Europe in the 1995 survey). There continue to be some significant differences among refugee groups. The group from Latin America exhibited the highest rate of employment since arrival (71 percent) followed by Eastern Europe (69 percent) and refugees from the Middle East and Vietnam (both 59 percent). The group from Other Southeast Asia exhibited the lowest rate of employment since arrival (31 percent). The comparable figures from the 1996 and 1995 surveys for rate of employment since arrival show Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Vietnam in the top three positions and Other Southeast in the bottom position.
Further disaggregation of the data by sex provides another vantage point relative to the employment status of refugees (refer to Table 2). Overall, the EPR for males was 63 percent versus 45 percent for females. The biggest disparity within refugee groups was for the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. (The disparity within Latin America is not considered as relevant owing to the fact that the employment measures for both males and females are quite high.) For the Middle East, the EPR and labor force participation rate for males was 62 percent higher than for females, and the unemployment rate was four percent for males versus 20 percent for females. For the former Soviet Union, the EPR for males was 16 percent higher than for females, the labor force participation rate for males was 18 percent higher than for females, and the unemployment rate was 16 percent for males versus 19 percent for females.
The survey also asked refugees age 16 and over why they were not looking for employment. Attending school accounted for the largest proportion (32 percent) with an associated median age of 19. Poor health or handicap accounted for the second largest proportion (20 percent) with an associated median age of 58. Limited English accounted for another six percent with an associated median age of 46. Child care or other family responsibilities accounted for another 15 percent with an associated median age of 36. Furthermore, for those citing child care or other family responsibilities, 90 percent were age 25 or over and 92 percent were female. A variety of other answers including a mixture of the aforementioned explanations accounted for the balance.
Factors Affecting Employment Status
Achieving economic self-sufficiency is based on the employment prospects of adult refugees, which hinges on a mixture of refugee 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 United States also influence their prospects for self-sufficiency.
The average number of years of education for all arrivals was approximately eleven (refer to Table 3). 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. The 1997 survey revealed a pronounced disparity between the educational backgrounds among the seven refugee groups formed from the survey respondents. The average years of education was highest for the former Soviet Union (12 years) and lowest for Other Southeast Asia (three years). By combining high school, technical school, and university degrees, again, the former Soviet Union (over 79 percent) ranks highest for education while Other Southeast Asia (approximately three percent) ranks the lowest.
Refugees from Africa (31 percent) and Other Southeast Asia (62 percent) showed the largest proportion for no formal education before arriving in the U.S. However they rank high for attending high school for a degree during the past 12 months. Vietnam shows the highest proportion for attempting to earn an Associate Degree and a Bachelor's Degree (five percent and 10 percent, respectively) followed by the Middle East. 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 correspondence between years of schooling and degrees or certifications among different countries is not necessarily the same. Consequently, some degree of caution is necessary when interpreting education statistics.
At the time of arrival, for refugees 16 years of age and over in the five-year population, 69 percent reportedly spoke no English (refer to Table 3). By the time of the interview, only 13 percent spoke no English. At the time of arrival, 78 percent of refugees from Other Southeast Asia spoke no English followed by Latin America (75 percent), Vietnam (74 percent), Eastern Europe (72 percent), refugees from the former Soviet Union (67 percent), followed by the Middle East (46 percent) and Africa (39 percent). By the time of the interview, 32 percent of refugees from Other Southeast Asia and 24 percent from Latin America still spoke no English. All other refugee groups had dropped below 17 percent. By the time of the interview, refugees from Southeast Asia and Latin America also had the smallest percentage for speaking English well or fluently (36 and 30 percent, respectively).
|
TABLE
3 - Educational and English Proficiency
|
||||||||
|
Education and Language Proficiency |
Africa |
Latin America |
Middle East |
Eastern Europe |
Former Soviet Union |
Vietnam |
Other S.E.Asia |
All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Average Years
of Education |
7.7 |
11.0 |
10.0 |
10.5 |
12.4 |
10.3 |
2.8 |
10.6 |
|
Highest Degree before U.S. |
||||||||
|
None |
31.1% |
9.9% |
18.0% |
9.8% |
1.1% |
20.1% |
62.4% |
14.4% |
|
Primary School |
26.2 |
18.1 |
22.9 |
25.0 |
8.6 |
14.1 |
24.4 |
15.2 |
|
Secondary School |
23.3 |
32.6 |
37.1 |
26.4 |
28.6 |
56.7 |
2.6 |
37.9 |
|
Technical School |
1.7 |
5.4 |
3.6 |
16.7 |
19.8 |
.3 |
.6 |
8.4 |
|
University Degree |
7.7 |
25.3 |
10.8 |
12.2 |
30.5 |
4.3 |
0.0 |
15.9 |
|
Medical Degree |
0.0 |
2.2 |
1.4 |
0.3 |
4.2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1.7 |
|
Attended School/University (since U.S.) |
38.1 |
8.8 |
31.9 |
15.8 |
16.9 |
32.2 |
40.8 |
23.7 |
|
Attended School/University (since U.S.) fordegree/certificate |
28.0 |
7.6 |
19.0 |
14.9 |
14.7 |
21.3 |
33.0 |
17.6 |
|
High School |
16.7 |
4.5 |
7.8 |
6.9 |
4.9 |
5.6 |
27.3 |
6.9 |
|
Associate Degree |
3.3 |
1.1 |
3.0 |
0.4 |
1.5 |
4.5 |
1.8 |
2.6 |
|
Bachelor's Degree |
5.3 |
0.0 |
7.7 |
5.6 |
5.8 |
10.3 |
3.9 |
6.6 |
|
Master's/Doctorate |
.8 |
1.1 |
0.0 |
.3 |
1.2 |
.3 |
0.0 |
.7 |
|
Professional Degree |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
.9 |
.9 |
.1 |
0.0 |
.4 |
|
Other |
0.0 |
.6 |
0.0 |
.3 |
0.0 |
.5 |
0.0 |
.3 |
|
Degree Received |
0.0 |
.8 |
1.6 |
.3 |
1.0 |
.3 |
.6 |
.6 |
|
At Time of Arrival |
||||||||
|
Percent Speaking no English |
38.5 |
75.4 |
45.8 |
71.6 |
67.3 |
73.6 |
77.5 |
69.2 |
|
Percent Not Speaking English Well |
42.7 |
19.7 |
36.4 |
18.8 |
24.1 |
23.1 |
11.6 |
23.5 |
|
Percent Speaking English Well or Fluently |
13.8 |
3.6 |
16.7 |
7.2 |
6.6 |
1.2 |
3.6 |
5.0 |
|
At Time of Survey |
||||||||
|
Percent Speaking no English |
4.0 |
23.8 |
12.4 |
6.0 |
16.6 |
6.5 |
31.8 |
13.2 |
|
Percent Not Speaking English Well |
30.9 |
43.5 |
21.6 |
35.1 |
35.5 |
51.3 |
30.9 |
41.0 |
|
Percent Speaking English Well or Fluently |
65.1 |
29.8 |
63.8 |
50.4 |
46.5 |
41.2 |
35.6 |
43.8 |
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 1992-1997. These figures refer to self-reported characteristics of refugees. Professional degree refers to a law degree or medical degree.
The relationship between English language proficiency and economic self-sufficiency can be gauged by comparing the ability to speak English with the associated EPR (refer to Table 4). Forty-four percent of all refugees indicated that they spoke English well or fluently (at the time of the survey). Another 41 percent indicated that they did not speak English well, while 13 percent claimed they spoke no English at all. Those speaking no English had the lowest EPR (27 percent) and those speaking English well or fluently had the highest EPR (61 percent). The difference in EPR between these two groups is 35 percent. Although many refugees improve their English language proficiency over time, it appears that those who do not are the least likely to be employed. Of the 13 percent of the survey respondents who spoke no English at the time of the survey, the median age was 59. Females comprised 56 percent and males comprised 44 percent. The majority came from the former Soviet Union (35 percent) followed by Latin America (24 percent) followed by Vietnam (17 percent) and Southeast Asia (11 percent).
During the past 12 months, 31 percent of all refugees attended ELT outside of high school. Refugees from Africa and the Middle East (36 percent) followed by Vietnam and the former Soviet Union (34 percent and 33 percent, respectively) have attended ELT outside of high school the most, whereas Latin America (15 percent) and Southeast Asia (21 percent) have attended ELT the least (refer to Table 5). For the same period, the proportion of refugees who have attended job training classes lags far behind ELT. Overall, only six percent of all survey respondents had attended job training (refer to Table 5). Refugees from the former Soviet Union had attended the greatest amount versus refugees from the Middle East who had attended the least. Across all refugee groups that attended job training, 60 percent indicated they spoke English well or fluently at the time of the survey, while 35 percent indicated that they did not speak English well and three percent indicated that they did not speak English at all.
|
TABLE 4 - 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 |
|||
|
1997 |
70.6 (43.2) |
15.1 (52.8) |
10.5 (93.9) |
|
1996 |
63.9 (45.6) |
27.8 (55.4) |
7.3 (68.4) |
|
1995 |
70.3 (55.6) |
24.8 (65.0) |
3.5 (58.0) |
|
1994 |
74.0 (51.1) |
19.9 (60.2) |
3.7 (51.3) |
|
1993 |
69.0 (49.3) |
22.9 (64.8) |
4.5 (52.4) |
|
1992 |
66.0 (55.5) |
24.6 (64.6) |
6.8 (71.1) |
|
Total Sample |
69.2 (51.3) |
23.5 (61.9) |
5.0 (62.9) |
|
At Time of Survey |
|||
|
1997 |
34.6 (39.0) |
41.4 (47.1) |
19.6 (78.5) |
|
1996 |
20.8 (28.4) |
50.0 (51.6) |
27.6 (64.3) |
|
1995 |
14.1 (38.7) |
43.1 (61.4) |
40.4 (61.1) |
|
1994 |
10.8 (18.8) |
46.3 (54.2) |
40.0 (58.8) |
|
1993 |
9.5 (14.1) |
37.4 (55.5) |
51.7 (57.4) |
|
1992 |
7.5 (11.1) |
23.0 (47.9) |
69.1 (66.6) |
|
Total Sample |
13.2 (26.6) |
41.0 (55.0) |
43.8 (61.4) |
Note: Data refer to refugees 16