Abstract/Summary

Employment is crucial to the integration of refugees in host countries. Using Bourdieu’s theory of practice and data from interviews with refugees, employment agency representatives and managers we examine these issues through two complementary studies conducted in Germany. Study I explores how refugees experience the recognition of their academic and professional credentials while seeking employment, Study II examines the question of how various actors, including employment agencies, employers, and colleagues, contribute to the development of relevant cultural capital. Our finding show that refugees’ pre- and in employment experiences are largely shaped by their foreignness and by national institutions’ protectionism. Even where foreign qualifications are formally recognized, employers invoke criteria such as the lack of local professional experience While this research echoes the theory of practice by showing the limited capacity of refugees to access and accumulate capital, our analysis shows that while the collaborative efforts of different actors can provide information and guidance related benefits, they offer limited support to refugees to access or utilize forms of capital to advance employment effectively.