Refugees’ occupational future time perspective: Implications for their integration in receiving countries [Die berufliche Zukunftsperspektive von Flüchtlingen: Auswirkungen auf ihre Integration in den Aufnahmeländern ]

Niemann, Lena; Hertel, Guido

Abstract

While refugees’ occupational integration is of interest for many receiving countries, refugees face multiple barriers in this process. The current research addresses psychological processes within refugees in response to their situation. Specifically, we proposed that experienced migration forcedness, as a key characteristic of refugee vs. non-refugee migration, restricts migrants’ perception of their occupational future time perspective (OFTP) in the receiving country. In turn, a limited OFTP should impair migrants’ occupational integration efforts. Moreover, we assumed that residence time in the receiving country moderates the relation between forcedness and OFTP, such that the relation is stronger in the beginning and weaker with increasing residence time. Preregistered hypotheses were tested in a cross-sectional study with online and paper-pencil surveys answered by N = 258 migrants in Germany. Contrary to expectations, results indicated no overall relation between migration forcedness and OFTP. However, the results confirmed the expected moderation by residence time. Moreover, results confirmed the expected relation between migrants’ OFTP and their occupational integration efforts, i.e., development of career-relevant skills and coworker relationships, work engagement, organizational commitment, and avoidance of underemployment. Finally, moderated mediation analyses confirmed migrants’ OFTP as a moderated mediator between migration forcedness and migrants’ occupational integration efforts. These results demonstrate that OFTP is a central process that affects the integration of refugees into receiving countries.