Written submission from Open Society Foundations (MIE0032)

A central belief of the Open Society Foundations is that all people in an open society count equally and should enjoy equal opportunities. The Open Society Foundations work day-to-day with civil society organizations across Europe to respond to discrimination, prejudice and injustice; to understand the emergence of new and sometimes worrying political phenomena; to inform better practices in policing and security; to connect those seeking justice and equality with policymakers and institutions; to promote inclusion for Europe’s minorities; to support a critical and informed discourse among nongovernmental actors; and to empower grassroots organizations to seek change for themselves, unique to their own local context. 

We engage with policymakers, civil society organisations, and communities at the local, national and international level to improve the social inclusion of Europe’s diverse minority and marginalised communities in different ways. Minority communities – whether Muslim, migrant or Roma – continue to come under intense scrutiny in Europe today. This complex situation presents Europe with one its greatest challenges: how to ensure equal rights in an environment of rapidly expanding diversity.

Since 2001, the Open Society Foundations has published 19 research reports that that provide detailed evidence and analysis of the experiences of Muslims and Somali across 14 different cities in Europe.[1]  The research examines experiences in a broad range of areas affecting social inclusion: identity and belonging, education, employment, health, housing and policing and security. The research has spoken directly with Muslims and Somalis, as well as engaging with key policymakers, practitioners and city officials.

This submission identifies some of the common themes on barrier and challenges towards increasing the labour market participation of Muslims that emerge from five OSF reports: Between Aspiration and Reality: Muslims and the Labour Market in the UK (2005), Muslims in London (2010), Muslims in Leicester (2010) and Somalis in London (2014) and Somalis in Leicester (2014). From an analysis across these reports, a set of common and consistent themes and issues emerge. While drawing on the earlier research on Muslims, this submission focuses on key findings emerging from the most recent OSF research on Somalis in seven European cities, including London and Leicester.

Most of the Somalis in the research arrived as refugees in the last two decades in two distinct cohorts. The first group began to arrive in significant numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as refugees fleeing from political persecution and the ensuing civil conflict in Somalia. Many of those who arrived in this first group were educated, and some were professionals with experience of living and working in urban cities. A second period of migration was in the mid-2000s, when significant numbers of refugees arrived in Europe from Somalia, due in part to the increase in conflict following the rise of the al-Shabaab movement. This second group of Somali arrivals had experienced the trauma of living through a decade-long civil war; many were from rural areas and were less likely, compared with the earlier group, to have formal education or training. For those Somalis that arrived as asylum seekers, their experience of migration as refugees has had a profound impact in shaping their employment situation. Unlike economic migrants, Somalis who came as asylum seekers did not choose their destination because their education, skills and work experience matched the labour market in the countries where they arrived. They had limited knowledge of the formal and informal mechanisms that are needed to navigate the labour markets.

The situation in the UK from the other European cities in the research as it has both a long term settled Somali community, dating back to the late nineteenth century as well as more recent refugee arrivals. A further distinct group in the UK are Somali that arrived after 1999 from other European countries. These were Somalis who had initially arrived in other European countries seeking asylum. However, having secured refugee status and then EU citizenship, some, exercising their rights as EU migrants, moved to the UK. This move to the UK was one that was more carefully planned and was a form of economic migration. In fact, interviews with Somalis in Leicester suggested that the opportunities for employment and self-employment were significant features in the decision to move to the UK.

THE IMPACT NATIONAL CONTEXT AND POLICY

By examining the experiences of Somali in seven cities across six different European countries the OSF reports bring into focus the impact of varying national context and differing policy approaches. Somalis present an interesting case study for exploring the impact of policy and structural factors on labour market integration. As most Somalis arrived in similar cohorts, over a similar time period into different European countries, differences in their labour market outcomes point towards differences in the policy approaches or the local social and economic rather than the religion, culture or norms of Somali communities. For example, our research found that the labour market participation rate of Somali-born women varied significantly across the different countries covered in the research. While just under one in ten Somali born women in the UK (9 per cent) were in employment, in Denmark it was closer to one in three (29 per cent).    

DISCRIMINATION

In examining the experiences of Muslims and Somalis the OSF research recognised experiences of discrimination differed by, for example, gender, generation, education, migration status, and visible religious identity. Experiences of racial and religious discrimination was however reported as a consistent feature in the experiences of Muslims and Somalis across a wide range of areas including employment. The reports on Muslims in the UK and in other European countries found that younger, second generation European-born Muslims were more likely than first generation migrants to report experiencing religious discrimination in employment. Muslim women who wear a headscarf were particularly vulnerable to discrimination based on stereotypes and assumptions about their choice of dress. Somali women and men emphasised the complex and multiple layered discrimination that they experienced, reflecting their identity as black, African, Muslim, and refugees. The research found limited awareness of employment rights and equality laws among Somalis or Somali community organisations.  

DEVELOPING SOFT SKILLS

The research on both Muslims and Somalis identified the need for labour market policies to focus on the development of both hard and soft skills. Soft skills are aimed at personal development and include confidence building and raising awareness of the benefits of economic integration for the individual and their families. They help individuals to realise their potential and prepare them for the labour market. For older, first generation Muslims and Somalis this includes developing computer literacy.

A key barrier is the lack of familiarity with the labour market and how the employment scene operates in European societies. This includes knowledge and understanding of employment rights, as well as the informal mechanisms through which the labour market operates. Many Somalis were acutely aware that they were not linked into the networks through which information about new opportunities and informal recommendations were made. This is consistent with existing research on the impact of access to networks in finding jobs.

ACCESSING TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT

The process of looking for employment, completing applications, drafting covering letters and writing CVs can be daunting for many people. The research focus groups found this to be the case particularly for older people who were looking for employment for the first time.

In London, the challenges of finding employment were particularly acute for older Somali women, many of whom have been outside the labour market bringing up young families until their late 30s or early 40s. However, with children at school they were now looking for employment. For the older Somali women entering education and training courses— often for the first time in their lives—was a particular challenge.

However, there are examples of policy initiatives that are seen as successful. The “STEP” programme in Tower Hamlets that worked with 100 British-Somali women over an 18-month period and helped 50 women into paid employment and 50 into further education. This was considered to be very successful by those working with Somali women. In Camden, the Hopscotch Asian Women’s Centre and the Somali Cultural Centre developed an initiative to provide support for long-term unemployed mothers with complex barriers to employment, including exploring perceptions of gender roles in the workplace, family and community, confidence building and motivation and employability skills. They also worked with Somali organisations to strengthen links with a range of employment and skills provision available universally in the borough. A further example of a successful initiative in Camden was the support for a group of Somali women to establish a care organisation in response to unmet need in the community; the Council was then able to buy care services from this organisation.

CHILDCARE

A lack of available and affordable formal childcare can act as a barrier to labour market participation for many women, including Muslim and Somali women.  However, the use of formal childcare is lower amongst ethnic minorities than for the general population. There is a need for effective childcare policies that adequately take into account the specific religious and cultural needs of different ethnic and religious groups including Muslims. The need to balance family and childcare commitment with employment means that many Muslim women prefer to work locally, self-employed and/or part-time, and thus allows them to continue with their family responsibilities.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS

Lack of English language skills is a barrier for recently arrived young Somalis, and older Somali first generation migrants. The tension between improving skills to improve long term employment prospects and securing paid employment were also noted in the research. There was some evidence of individuals being asked to stop language classes in order to find a job. This was considered to be detrimental as it limits the type of employment they can subsequently look for. The research on Somalis in Leicester found that many women were taking ESOL course, but due to financial pressures were forced to take employment in low-paid sectors such as cleaning and packing, where significant English-language skills are not needed.

ACCESSING SUPPORT

Developing hard and soft skills requires Muslims and Somalis to access and engage with support services. An important question that arose across the reports is whether initiatives for supporting individuals into employment should be targeted specifically at a particular ethnic or religious group or whether a more general approach works better for long-term integration.  There were examples of successful support from mainstream service providers as well as effective community organisations that worked with particular groups.

Older Somalis in particular expressed a preference for support from Somali community-based organisations, which they felt had a better understanding of their problems and needs.   In Leicester Somali organisations have received funding from the municipality to provide employment support to the community, including support in job search activities, preparing for interviews, CV development, filling in job applications, liaising with employers, and building confidence and self-esteem.

The earlier OSF research on Muslims in the UK also found that inappropriate or insensitive service delivery can lead to individuals avoiding engagement with mainstream service providers. There may be cultural reasons as to why Muslim women do not access mainstream services. This may be due to their own personal choice or the choice of family members. Greater cultural sensitivity in the delivery of services could help to ensure Muslims take the first step towards considering, and then preparing themselves for labour market integration, in a culturally appropriate manner that would satisfy the concerns of both themselves and their families.

April 2016