(Press-News.org) The economic situation of 24,894 people from refugee backgrounds who came to New Zealand between 1997 and 2020 is the focus of the first paper in an ongoing study from the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies (CAPRS) at the University of Auckland.
The study asked three broad questions: What are refugee access rates to education and state housing, who remains on benefits, as opposed to in employment over time and what factors contribute to income over time?
Findings reveal the importance of the first five years in terms of successful economic outcomes, or otherwise, and reveal disparities in income and job status between four sub-groups: quota refugees, who are not faring quite as well, convention refugees, asylum seekers and those who arrive under the family reunification scheme to join others family members.
Quota refugees, of whom New Zealand accepts 1500 per year, already have refugee status (due to a well-founded fear of persecution) before they arrive and go through an initial five-week settlement programme in Auckland; after which they’re automatically New Zealand residents and offered a range of health, education, employment and accommodation support lasting up to two years.
The fact that the data reveals this group has the greatest need of support makes sense, as they are often the most vulnerable people in their home countries and include the sub-categories of ‘women at risk’ and ‘medical/disabled’, says study lead, Professor Jay Marlowe.
“This means the government doesn’t ‘cherry pick’ those who are most likely to contribute to the economy, which makes it a humanitarian programme worth celebrating.”
For quota refugees, settlement support has been historically provided in the first year (and now, in theory two). There is a case, looking at this data, for extending this to five years, where marked improvements in terms of income and the percentages of people moving into paid employment happen, says Marlowe.
“That’s where you see the greatest shifts in people going from the benefit to wages and salaries or self-employment, and that’s the case across all groups. But after five years, positive trends start to level off.”
And although these findings indicate a need for more assistance for quota groups, the team is not suggesting that the Refugee Resettlement Strategy should be limited to quota refugees, as it is currently, he says.
“It’s clear that all groups follow a similar trend of making positive strides, from different initial starting points, and this is most pronounced in the first five years; extending support to all refugee groups could result in quicker and better employment outcomes, even if that would involve higher short-term funding costs, it would be better economically in the long run.”
The age you are when you arrive, the amount of time you’ve been settled, and your gender (women tend to fare worse) are important considerations in terms of job prospects and any policy solutions need to take this into account, he says.
The data sourced for the study is from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a massive administrative data set composed of billions of facts about New Zealand individuals and households which draws from sources like government ministries, the IRD and the Census, takes all this data and effectively links it in whatever way it’s asked.
Administered by Statistics New Zealand as a secure database, IDI can look at things like education, employment, mental health, marital status, housing, housing and mobility; a wide range of information which is carefully guarded and can only be accessed by permission in secure labs.
The IDI takes different identifiers, aside from names – things like NHI, passport or visa numbers – and links them to the requested data and draws it all together into a ‘spine’, providing a unique identifier or code for each individual which is “scrubbed” of anything that would reveal them, says Marlowe.
“After doing the analysis you have to then send it back to Stats NZ for them to check it doesn't violate any confidentiality protocols.”
He says his colleague and affiliated CAPRS scholar, Dr Arezeoo Malihi, spent three years identifying this population, analysing the data, and working with advisory committees made up of immigration and legal experts in the sector to make sure the team was interpreting it accurately.
He believes it’s important to emphasise that this study, across 23 years, is missing the second and third generation cohort and therefore “doesn’t tell the whole story”.
“There’s a quote by Afghan Abbas Nazari, who wrote a book about his time as a refugee after being rescued by the Tampa, where he says something like, ‘The first generation builds the foundation to the house, the second builds the house, and the third fills the house’.
“For many people, what constitutes successful settlement is their children succeeding, rather than themselves.”
And the number of students from refugee backgrounds, even at the University of Auckland, far surpasses what we would expect relative to the general population, he notes.
“They are our future workforce, they're committed; they’re supporting their families and community, but also the wider society.”
END
First five years crucial for refugee success: New study
The first five years are vital for successful refugee settlement in Aotearoa, but some groups are falling behind, acc
2023-06-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Kūmara research offers hope for sleep-deprived parents
2023-06-07
There’s fresh hope for sleep-deprived parents, with a study into whether kūmara boosts babies’ microbiome, potentially helping them sleep soundly and ward off viruses.
The Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland trial explores whether kūmara acts as a prebiotic, fostering healthy bacteria in baby’s microbiome, and supporting immune development and sleep.
“One of the really critical periods in pregnancy is very early on in the first trimester, and the other is between when a baby's born till about five or six months of age,” says Professor Clare Wall, principle investigator in the SUN study.
“What babies first eat and what they're ...
From chlamydia to tonsillitis: The University of Warwick launches "#DocTok" to help Gen Z with health worries
2023-06-07
The University of Warwick is excited to announce the launch of "#DocTok," a new initiative that harnesses the expertise of medical doctor Dr James Gill to address and communicate possible medical concerns to the younger generation. #DocTok videos will appear on the official University of Warwick TikTok page @UniOfWarwick the popular social media platform to provide accessible and accurate information on a wide range of health issues, from chlamydia to tonsillitis, anxiety, and depression.
With the rising prevalence of health-related concerns ...
Sabotage and collusion could be derailing your weight loss journey, finds study
2023-06-07
Family and loved ones may be conspiring to sabotage your weight loss journey, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. The study is part of a growing body of evidence which suggests that not all social support results in positive health outcomes.
Reviewing literature in this area, researchers found the negative side of social support in the form of sabotage, feeding behaviour and collusion, which all undermine the attempts of those trying to lose weight. The Surrey team found acts of sabotage, discouraging healthy eating, and putting up barriers to attending support groups, often undermined an individual's ...
Development of communication in chimpanzees echoes that of human infants
2023-06-07
-With pictures/video-
Young chimpanzees combine different gestures, vocalisations and facial expressions in a way which echoes the development of communication in human infants, according to new research.
Psychologists at Durham University found that young chimpanzees combine different communication signals, which may help them be better understood by other chimpanzees in different situations such as playing or fighting.
The researchers found that this ability develops throughout infancy and adolescence.
Such ...
The evolutionary origins and advantages of masturbation
2023-06-07
Masturbation is common across the animal kingdom but is especially prevalent amongst primates, including humans. Historically, this behaviour was considered to be either pathological or a by-product of sexual arousal, and recorded observations were too fragmented to understand its distribution, evolutionary history, or adaptive significance. New research published in Proceedings of The Royal Society B finds that, perhaps surprisingly, this behaviour seems to serve an evolutionary purpose.
The findings indicate that masturbation is an ancient trait in primates, and that – at least in males – it increases reproductive ...
Virtual ward for atrial fibrillation patients could prevent thousands of hospital admissions per year
2023-06-07
A new virtual ward to safely treat atrial fibrillation patients could prevent thousands of hospital admissions per year, easing NHS pressure, according to new research from the University of Leicester presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester.
In the year-long study, patients with a fast heart rate due to atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter that met the necessary safety criteria(1) were sent home with the heart rate-lowering medication they would usually get in hospital, and told to submit daily information using a smartphone app.
Their data, including ECG recordings, blood pressure, oxygen ...
Daily beetroot juice reduces rate of repeat procedures and heart attacks in angina patients with stents
2023-06-07
Drinking beetroot juice every day for six months after having a stent fitted reduced the chance of angina patients having a heart attack or needing a repeat procedure, according to new research presented at the British Cardiovascular Society conference.
The finding on the benefits of the vegetable juice comes from a trial funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), presented at the conference in Manchester.
The researchers, based at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Queen Mary University ...
Knowledge coproduction: Working together to solve a complex conservation problem
2023-06-07
A new publication from a team of scientists at USGS, Point Blue Conservation Science, and Conservation Biology Institute shows how knowledge coproduction - the collaborative creation of actionable information by scientists, resource managers, and policy makers - can help identify viable conservation options for a dynamic ecosystem with a complex web of stressors.
The wetland habitats of California’s Central Valley support millions of migratory birds each year and are an important part of the Pacific Flyway, a bird migration route that ...
UW research shows real-world value of strategy courses for MBA students
2023-06-07
More than 100,000 Master of Business Administration students graduate each year in the United States, and all of them take at least one strategy course. Even so, little is known about the effects of the degree’s most popular course offering.
Strategy courses typically focus on frameworks and cases that develop decision-making abilities for eventual MBA graduates, who make up most associates and partners at leading consulting firms, as well as 40% of the chief executive officers of publicly traded firms in the U.S. A new University of Washington study, published online June 5 ...
Measuring greenhouse gas from ponds improves climate predictions
2023-06-06
ITHACA, N.Y. – Shallow lakes and ponds emit significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but emissions from these systems vary considerably and are not well understood.
Now, a new Cornell University-led study measures methane and carbon dioxide emissions from 30 small lakes and ponds (one acre or less) in temperate areas of Europe and North America, revealing that the smallest and shallowest bodies of water exhibit the greatest variability over time.
The paper marks an important step toward calibrating climate models so they better predict emissions from inland waterbodies, and it points to the need to study small waterbodies more closely.
“This ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice
ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle
Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air
GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients
Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds
Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity
Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests
Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows
Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer
SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events
Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design
New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients
Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?
Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain
Decoding plants’ language of light
UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC
New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury
New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows
Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?
1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5
In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day
Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds
Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production
Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago
Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP
Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024
PLOS One study: In adolescent lab animals exposed to cocaine, High-Intensity Interval Training boosts aversion to the drug
Scientists identify four ways our bodies respond to COVID-19 vaccines
Stronger together: A new fusion protein boosts cancer immunotherapy
Hidden brain waves as triggers for post-seizure wandering
[Press-News.org] First five years crucial for refugee success: New studyThe first five years are vital for successful refugee settlement in Aotearoa, but some groups are falling behind, acc