Access to Employment for Beneficiaries of International Protection in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia

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Access to Employment for Beneficiaries of International Protection in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia Access to Employment for Beneficiaries of International Protection in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia December 2013 Access to Employment for Beneficiaries of International Protection in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia Copyright notice © United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Regional Representation for Central Europe - 2013 This document is for general distribution. All rights reserved. Reproductions and translations are authorized, except for commercial purpose, provided the source is acknowledged. This publication is not subject to trade. Disclaimer The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of UNHCR, the European Commission or any of the project partners. Acknowledgments This report was commissioned and funded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Regional Representation for Central Europe. The research was carried out by a team of international researchers: • Neda Deneva, researcher for the Bulgaria report and co-author of the cross-country analysis; • Dumitrita Holdis, researcher for the Romania report and co- author of the cross-country analysis; • Aleksandra Lis and Alena Kachanovich, researchers for the Poland report; • Martina Sekulova, researcher for the Slovakia report. The report is part of the wider “Refugee Integration: Capacity and Evaluation” project, co-funded by the European Union through the European Refugee Fund - Community Actions 2011 and UNHCR. The project began on 1 August 2012 and has been implemented by the UNHCR Regional Representation for Central Europe. The project was carried out in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia in partnership with the following organizations: Migration Policy Group (MPG, Belgium); State Agency for Refugees/the Integration Centre for Refugees (Bulgaria); Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (Poland); General Inspectorate of Immigration (Romania); Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs (Slovakia). UNHCR is thankful to Jonathan N.S. Moore, John Nadler, and Tom Popper for their thorough language editing and proofreading work. 1/ Executive Summary ....................................................................8 Legal and policy framework .....................................................................................8 Institutional framework ............................................................................................9 Active programmes .................................................................................................9 Barriers to employment ...........................................................................................9 Conclusions ............................................................................................................10 2/ Introduction ..........................................................................................11 0/ Table of Contents 3/ Bulgaria Report ...............................................................................13 Introduction ................................................................................................................13 II. Analysis of Data on Asylum and the Labour Markets ................................. 13 Asylum trends – with a focus on beneficiaries of international protection.......13 Labour market impact ............................................................................................14 III. Labour Market Integration Policies – Overview of Policy, Practices and Gaps ................................................................................................... 17 Institutional and legal framework for employment of beneficiaries of international protection .........................................................................................17 Main institutions and actors ..........................................................................17 Legal documents and definitions ...................................................................18 Funding ............................................................................................................19 Policy framework for integration of beneficiaries of international protection ..20 IV. Active Programmes for Beneficiaries of International Protection to Secure Employment ............................................................................................. 21 SAR Integration Centre ..........................................................................................21 National Employment Agency ...............................................................................22 Complementary programmes by partners ............................................................23 Labour fairs ......................................................................................................23 Professional training .......................................................................................23 UNHCR: Access to Employment in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovakia 4 Social mediation and counselling ..................................................................24 Integration activities run by NGOs ........................................................................45 Additional language courses ..........................................................................24 Examples of NGO projects that seek to provide beneficiaries of international protection access to the labour market .........................................46 V. Discrimination in Employment and Other Barriers to Employment for Beneficiaries of International Protection ..................................................... 24 V. Identification of Barriers on the Labour Market in Poland ......................... 49 Discrimination and racism .....................................................................................24 Socio-economic status ...................................................................................25 VI. Recommendations ............................................................................................. 54 Language .........................................................................................................25 Sources and References .......................................................................................... 56 Professional training, job applications and links with employers ...............25 Information on rights, administrative procedures and institutions .............26 Diplomas and certificates ...............................................................................26 5/ Romania Report ............................................................................58 Gender ..............................................................................................................27 Self-employment and entrepreneurship ........................................................27 Introduction ...............................................................................................................58 Irregular employment ......................................................................................27 Integration Programme provisions and regulations .....................................28 II. Analysis of Data on Asylum and the Labour Markets ................................ 59 Asylum trends – with a focus on beneficiaries of international protection.......59 VI. Recommendations .............................................................................................. 29 Labour market impact ............................................................................................59 Sources and References .......................................................................................... 31 A note on data collection .......................................................................................60 III. Labour Market Integration Policies – Overview of Policy, 4/ Poland Report ...................................................................................33 Practices and Gaps ................................................................................................... 61 Institutional and Policy Framework for Integration of Beneficiaries of International Protection ........................................................................................61 Introduction ................................................................................................................33 Main points ......................................................................................................61 II. Data on Asylum and Unemployment ............................................................... 34 Institutional and Legal Framework for Employment of Beneficiaries of International Protection ........................................................................................62 III. Legal and Institutional Bases for Labour Market Integration of Asylum-seekers ..............................................................................................62 Beneficiaries of International Protection in Poland.......................................... 37 Refugee and Subsidiary Protection ...............................................................63 Types of protection in Poland ................................................................................37 Tolerated Status ..............................................................................................63 Programme documents for
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