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103 Monthly Lab. Rev. 31 (1980)
Employment Patterns of Southeast Asian Refugees

handle is hein.journals/month103 and id is 985 raw text is: Employment patterns of Southeast Asian refugees Based on the limited data available, most earlier Indochinese refugees found jobs, have had gradual income gains, but work long hours; recent arrivals speak less English and face more employment problems because of economic conditions ROBERT L. BACH AND JENNIFER B. BACH The extraordinary exodus for Vietnam, Laos, and Kampuchea (Cambodia) has brought more than 360,000 refugee settlers to the United States beginning in 1975. Recent arrivals have greatly swollen the num- bers. Based on President Carter's June 1979 commit- ment to admit 14,000 a month, 168,000 Southeast Asian refugees will have entered the United States dur- ing fiscal year 1980.1 The Refugee Act of 1980 was designed primarily to meet the needs of those fleeing political and economic uncertainties as well as military conflicts in Southeast Asia. The new law concluded a long history to tempo- rary, ad hoc legislation (see the box, p. 41) by establishing a permanent and systematic method3 for ac- cepting refugees into the United States and assuring their effective resettlement. Thus, a major goal of the act is the swift and complete integration of the Indochinese refugees into the mainstream of Ameri- can life. Principally, this involves locating and obtaining adequate employment. Robert L. Bach is assistant professor of sociology, State University of New York, Binghamton. Jennifer B. Bach is a private research ana- lyst. Congress sought to assist the refugees in their em- ployment search. Under the 1980 law, it required the Office of Refugee Resettlement to provide resources for employment and training and job placement.4 Congress also provided monetary assistance for up to 3 years- expecting all to be working and economically self-suffi- cient by then. Some have questioned whether, within 3 years, the Southeast Asian refugees will gain a level of labor force participation, employment, and income to warrant the label self-sufficient. However, based on our evaluation of all available data, there is sufficient cause for opti- mism. The vast majority of refugees have actively joined the U.S. labor force and found jobs relatively quickly. Differences among men and women are sub- stantial in some areas, but these largely reflect similar patterns in the U.S. population. Cultural differences among the three Indochinese nationalities are certainly distinguishable, yet their employment levels are surpris- ingly similar. And, by far the most promising indicator, both labor force participation and employment evident- ly increase with each year of residence in the United States. Still, there are signs that urge caution. Refugees tend

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