Foreign-Born People in EU Cite Lack of Language Skills as Top Obstacle to Find Suitable Jobs

According to this survey, the main obstacle for such women has been listed as the lack of host country language skills, with the majority of respondents being from Finland (22.8 per cent), Luxembourg (14.7 per cent) and Sweden (13.1), AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

Furthermore, more than ten per cent of people born in a third country and currently residing in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia, Czechia and Austria said that the language courses in these countries are either not available or unaffordable.

Men born in another EU country have listed the lack of language skills in the hosting country as the main obstacle keeping them away from finding a suitable and secure job, followed by the lack of such jobs being in the labour market, and another share of respondents said there is a lack of recognition of formal qualifications obtained abroad.

The share of respondents listed lack of language skills and other obstacles among men born in non-EU countries with a high or a very high human development index, who also listed the lack of suitable jobs available and the discrimination on the grounds of foreign origin.

The latter is another reason men born in non-EU countries with low or medium human development index struggle to find a suitable job, which is also common for all groups of women, especially those with low or medium human development index.

Moreover, foreign-born women were more likely to report encountering obstacles to getting an adequate job than men. A fifth of women, or 20.3 per cent, born in another EU country faced obstacles, compared with slightly more than a tenth of men (13.2 per cent).

“Over a third of women born in non-EU countries with a low or medium Human Development Index (HDI) reported obstacles, compared with under a third of men (35.7 per cent compared with 31.1 per cent), while 27.3 per cent of women from non-EU countries with a high or very high HDI reported obstacles compared with 20.9 per cent of men,” the press release explains.

One of the leading obstacles for which men were the main reporters compared to women was for ‘restricted right to work because of citizenship or residence permit’. Regarding those from third countries with a low or medium HDI, the share of men was 3.3 per cent compared with 2.8 per cent of women.

For those from third countries with a high or very high HDI, the shares were 2.1 per cent for men and 1.6 per cent for women.