KNOMAD STUDY Refugees’ Right to Work and Access to Labor Markets – An Assessment Part II: Count ry Cases (Preliminary) Roger Zetter Héloïse Ruaudel September 2016 i The KNOMAD Working Paper and Study Series disseminates work in progress under the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD). A global hub of knowledge and policy expertise on migration and development, KNOMAD aims to create and synthesize multidisciplinary knowledge and evidence; generate a menu of policy options for migration policy makers; and provide technical assistance and capacity building for pilot projects, evaluation of policies, and data collection. KNOMAD is supported by a multi-donor trust fund established by the World Bank. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Sweden’s Ministry of Justice, Migration and Asylum Policy, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) are the contributors to the trust fund. The views expressed in this study do not represent the views of the World Bank or the sponsoring organizations. All queries should be addressed to
[email protected]. KNOMAD studies, working papers and a host of other resources on migration are available at www.KNOMAD.org. ii Refugees’ Right to Work and Access to Labor Markets – An Assessment* Roger Zetter and Héloïse Ruaudel† Abstract For refugees, the right to work is vital for reducing vulnerability, enhancing resilience, and securing dignity. Harnessing refugees’ skills can also benefit local economic activity and national development. But there are many obstacles. Based on a sample of 20 countries hosting 70 percent of the world’s refugees, this study investigates the role and impact of legal and normative provisions providing and protecting refugees’ right to work within the 1951 Refugee Convention as well as from the perspective of non- signatory states.