Understanding the Informal Economic Activity of Refugees in London

Community Links and the Refugee Council have published a report giving details of a small scoping exercise they carried out for the Greater London Authority, examining the causes of informal econmic activity within refugee communities.

This report concludes that in the main refugees appear to be doing informal work out of necessity as they are living in poverty. Many face difficulties accessing the formal labour market and barriers to entering the formal economy which were related to them being refugees.

The report identifies several challenges including:

* employers not understanding refugees’ entitlement to work,
* limited recognition of skills and experience gained in people’s countries of origin,
* experiences of protracted periods without work during the asylum process and
* delays in receiving paperwork when refugee status is granted.

Understanding the Informal Economic Activity of Refugees in London