IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE Finding Work in America: Employment Outcomes among Recent Immigrants Catherine Arwood The University of Tennessee, Knoxville – College of Social Work PURPOSE OF THE STUDY CONCLUSIONS Finding gainful employment is a key factor to self-sufficiency for immigrants and refugees. Social services providers need to understand the factors influencing successful employment in order to meet the needs of foreign-born clients. Research question: What are the factors (barriers and facilitators) that influence successful employment among recent immigrants in the United States? Education levels and English deficiency did not necessarily prevent immigrants from finding employment in the United States Discrimination may reduce employment chances, especially for female immigrants Both employed and unemployed Asian and Latino respondents utilized family and friend networks for socialization and emotional support. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE RESULTS English Proficiency No significant difference in English proficiency between employed and unemployed Unemployed group reported higher English proficiency than employed Education No significant difference in education levels between employed and unemployed Gender Females were more likely to be unemployed (16.4%) than men (7.4%) 2 (1, N=373)=7.271, p=0.007 Race/Ethnicity 62.8% of unemployed respondents were Asian 2 (1, N=373)=1.7401, p=0.187 Discrimination 45% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination due to race, ancestry, ethnicity, or skin color Social Capital When asked “How often do you let relatives know about your problems” Social workers should be aware of female immigrant jobseekers as they continue to advocate for gender equality in employment. This study supports previous research indicating that social networks have proven benefits for foreign-born jobseekers by providing professional networks and support systems (Beaman, 2012; Simich, Beiser, & Mawani, 2003). Social workers should promote healthy social networks among refugees and immigrants. RESEARCH DESIGN Analysis of secondary data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), 2002-2003 STUDY SAMPLE Non-institutionalized U.S. Resident *All respondents (n=373) arrived in the U.S. in the past 5 years and were working or looking for work   Employed (n=330) Unemployed (n=43) Gender Male 187 (56.7%) 15 (34.9%) Female 143 (43.3%) 28 (65.1%) Age 18-25 78 (23.6%) 8 (18.6%) 26-35 125 (37.9%) 20 (46.5%) 36-45 72 (21.8%) 46-55 41 (12.4%) 6 (14%) 66 and older 14 (4.2%) 1 (2.3%) Race/ Ethnicity Asian 172 (52.1%) 27 (62.8%) Latino 158 (47.9%) 16 (37.2%) 53.8% of employed & 44.8% of unemployed respondents answered “Always” 2 (4, N=265)=12.718, p=0.013 LIMITATIONS Only includes Asian and Latino immigrants Respondents studied arrived within 5 years of survey Survey does not indicate level of difficulty in finding employment or amount of time seeking employment in the United States All items were self-reported, which may affect accuracy of results and correlations