New Study Finds Early Job Mentoring, Placement and Training Boost Refugee Integration Without High Costs

A new research paper by a University of Maryland economist and his colleagues shows that low-cost programming to help refugees find work early can improve their integration in a new country and reduce conditions that can lead to economic and social friction.

The study, which was published as a working paper by IZA Institute of Labor Economics, evaluates the FORWORK pilot, a three-year program (2019–2022) that offered early mentoring, training, and job placement services to asylum seekers in the Piedmont region of Italy. Unlike standard reception centers, which typically provide few structured services during the early asylum period, this initiative provided tailored, low-cost support for integration into the labor market. The researchers found that participants in the program were more likely to gain formal employment and stable contracts, and that gains were larger for those who received mentoring and for those who participated in subsidized internships.

Erich Battistin, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UMD and co-author of the study said that their results are likely to apply in this country as well.

“Our findings have policy implications for both first-arrival and destination countries,” Battistin said. “Delays or failures in integrating asylum seekers into the labor market increase the risk of informal employment or, in some cases, involvement in criminal activities, which can fuel native opposition to immigration and contribute to the political backlash seen in response to refugee reception policies.”

Between the early 2010s and 2022, the number of refugees fleeing war and persecution worldwide tripled from 11 million to 36 million. Finding ways to improve integration outcomes for asylum seekers in their new countries can reduce the global tensions around these vulnerable populations.

To evaluate the effect of early intervention, Battistin and his colleagues tracked 1,262 asylum seekers from 260 centers that host individuals early in the asylum process. The centers were grouped into pairs with roughly equivalent geography and population size. One center in each pair was randomly assigned to receive the FORWORK intervention, which included job mentoring, placement services, language courses, short vocational training and on-the-job training through subsidized internships.

The researchers tracked the services participants used and the jobs they secured. Before and after surveys helped them assess any changes in education, language skills, employment history, and social connections.

Battistin and his colleagues found that the program resulted in a 30% increase in net employment rates over 18 months. They also noted that women, African nationals, and individuals with no prior employment were more likely to engage with the program and benefit from it than others. In addition, they documented broader benefits on socioeconomic integration, including language proficiency and social networks with native Italians.

Despite disruptions from COVID-19 during the study period, the researchers found that remote one-on-one mentoring preserved much of the program’s intended support, suggesting resilience even in constrained settings.

The study’s findings speak directly to ongoing policy debates. With refugee numbers tripling over the last decade, receiving countries face mounting challenges around social integration and public support for asylum policy.

Previous research links long delays in labor market access with higher risks of informal employment, poverty, and homelessness. These conditions can, in turn, erode public trust and drive political backlash, as seen during Europe’s 2015–2017 refugee crisis.

By contrast, the evidence from FORWORK suggests that modest, early investments in job readiness can produce meaningful improvements in refugee outcomes—potentially offering a more sustainable alternative to costlier, less effective options such as housing subsidies.

This Research was conducted with support from the Italian Ministry of Labor and the Rodolfo Debenedetti Foundation. The FORWORK project was funded by the EU’s Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) program. The views in this story do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations.