Employment integration in Australia: Experiences of Serbian refugees from former Yugoslavia Stanko Stapar 2019 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of the Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Business and Law at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia DECLARATION I declare that this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award or diploma except where due reference is made in the text of the examinable outcome. To the best of my knowledge the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. (Stanko Stapar) Signed Date: Nov 4, 2019 i Abstract This thesis concentrates on the lived experiences of skilled refugees and explores their employment integration (EI) pathways over time, using life course analysis. Research on individual EI experiences in Australia connected the trajectory of Serbian refugees’ personal lives to large social changes such as nationalistic movements, ethnic tensions, the civil war in the former Yugoslavia and refugees’ consequent forced exodus. It shows that successful refugee social and employment integration (SEI) is important because of positive outcomes for society and individuals, yet rarely do studies address how refugees can achieve EI from a long-term perspective. Hence, this study fills an explanatory vacuum on achieving EI for this group. The work explores vital yet neglected stories and voices in a qualitative study of Serbian refugee experiences. Real-life experiences need to be considered when formulating policies that affect such people’s lives. Future immigrant groups will depend largely on what the Government does at all stages of entry. The findings here build an evidence base on factors that aid or hinder refugee EI. This can lead to improved policies and program delivery and effective strategies for refugee EI. Most research hitherto sees EI from a functionalist perspective, as an outcome, not elaborated and integrated as a process that addresses person and structural dynamics simultaneously. Human capital, social capital, labour market segmentation and structuration theories are used here to analyse EI, yet each theory on its own provides only a partial understanding of EI. This study, after analysis and comparison, used labour market segmentation and structuration theories as its principal theoretical foundations. The study also demonstrates that thematic analysis and life course analysis are more effective tools than the outcome focus of the current EI literature. Life course analysis serves best for micro-level, insider study, and places EI in the context of a life experience that encompassed pre-migration stage, migration and arrival, post-arrival, and current lives of Serbian refugees who migrated in the 1990s. A theoretical contribution is the mapping of life course pathways. The typology of pathways is a theoretical contribution and complements macro-level perspectives. The study offers better understanding of how social system requirements become articulated with individual motives and goals of refugees through links between individual and social structure. Grouping individual pathways into types enables comparison of the different timing ii of pathways. The findings address the research gap in regard to skills utilisation of Serbian refugees and offers policy advice on how to improve policies and program delivery. The principal problem for skilled Serbian refugees was the widespread inability to take advantage of their pre-migration educational qualifications. The majority underwent negative or unsuccessful EI: of the sample of 54, only 15 were successful. Success depended on prior knowledge, qualifications, skills, previous and additional education and work experience, and a profession in demand. With success came improvement in life satisfaction and fulfilment, although desired outcomes and pathways varied between individuals. Outside determinants have an important part in affecting EI paths, by giving support, or by generating and imposing challenges and barriers. The findings suggest a tension between agency and structure, where each shape and influences the other, in determining outcomes of individuals. Although the study focus was on Serbs, the findings may also be applied to other migrant groups. Making better use of refugee skills brings benefits to society, employers and refugees themselves. While the typology of refugee EI may be incomplete, the study provides a sound methodological, theoretical, conceptual, and empirical basis for the implementation of research studies of this kind. iii Acknowledgments The author expresses his genuine appreciation to the 54 participants in this research, Serbian refugees and migrants from the former Yugoslavia, who shared their life stories. Without them this study would not have been possible. Thank you very much for your participation and engagement in meaningful conversations. Our interactions have indeed enriched the research findings. I would also like to acknowledge and to thank a number of people who helped make this study possible. I am grateful to my Principal Coordinating Supervisor, Dr Alexis Esposito, for his continued support and for agreeing to be my Principal Supervisor, and for the great support and guidance from Coordinating Supervisor, Dr Aron Perenyi, and Associate Supervisor, Dr Cristina Neesham, for her insightful qualitative feedback, understanding importance of this project, great ideas, and guidance. A big thank you for your time, valuable comments and inputs. In the writing of this thesis, I have necessarily relied on the efforts of numerous previous works. I acknowledge all those researchers and writers who have added to the literature and created the foundation for further research. I express my gratitude to the Faculty of Business and Law, Swinburne University for its support. I sincerely acknowledge the support provided by the administrative staff, the resource people at Library and IT, and my colleagues at Swinburne University who are too many to name: all have helped me in different ways. I would also like to acknowledge the professional support provided by Dr Steve Perryman and Dr Jeffrey Keddie as editors, for proofreading and copyediting my thesis, in compliance with the Australian standards for editing practice and the guidelines for editing research theses (The Institute of Professional Editors Limited, 2019). Finally, I wholeheartedly thank my dear family for their love and support. Especially I would like to thank my wife Suzana, and daughters Sanja and Sara, who made sure I kept my priorities right. iv List of Abbreviations ABS – Australian Bureau of Statistics DIAC /DIMIA – Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship EI - Employment integration ESB - English speaking background HC - Human capital LC - Life course LCA - Life course analysis LMS - Labour market segmentation LMST- Labour market segmentation theory LS - Life satisfaction LSIA – Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants in Australia NESB - non-English speaking background SC - Social capital SEI - Social and employment integration SFRJ - Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia SRFY - Serbian refugees from the former Yugoslavia ST- Structuration theory v Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Background of Serbian refugees from the former Yugoslavia (SRFY) migrating to Australia 1991-1999 and arising from the Civil War, 1991-1995 ........................................... 1 1.2. Background of the research problem ............................................................................... 4 1.3. Thesis objectives: addressing the problem ....................................................................... 7 1.4. Structure of the thesis ..................................................................................................... 10 1.5. Key Terms and Definitions ............................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2: Literature review .................................................................................................... 15 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 15 2.2. Theoretical perspectives on EI ........................................................................................ 16 2.3. The main EI themes ........................................................................................................ 28 2.4. Important gaps and the approach of this thesis ............................................................. 49 2.5. Summary ......................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................ 53 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 53 3.1. Research approach: An interpretive paradigm ............................................................. 54 3.2. The life course analysis (LCA) method........................................................................... 56 3.3. Deriving EI Pathways ..................................................................................................... 60 3.4. Research