(In)stability of the Professional Trajectories of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Belgium

Ensuring a stable employment situation is crucial for asylum seekers, as it not only provides them with economic resources but also facilitates their active integration into the life of the host country and adaptation to a new environment. However, the course and (in)stability of employment trajectories of asylum seekers and refugees remain little explored in Belgium. We aim to describe how those trajectories are shaped for a cohort of asylum-seeking migrants who arrived in Belgium between 2004 and 2007. The concept of (in)stability is further examined by looking at whether individuals stay for long in specific activity sectors. Using data from administrative sources, we rely on sequence analysis to describe employment trajectories. Then, we use logistic regressions to explore the determinants of employment stability. Results suggest that employment careers among asylum migrants are unstable, with short and fragmented periods of employment. The sectors ‘Hotel, Catering and Trade’, ‘Building and Industry’, and ‘Health and Social’ present career paths that show a certain continuity, by remaining in a single activity sector over the observed period after arrival. Our study also indicates the existence of an ethnic stratification across these activity sectors which group people with the same origins. We argue that this is in favour of the stabilisation of employment situations. Finally, this research suggests that economic integration policies for asylum migrants should not only address entry into employment but also long-term career stability. They should leverage benefits of the social networks while promoting access to diverse sectors to avoid marginalisation.