Abstract. Employment helps foster integration, representing a form of autonomy, stability and fulfilment, particularly relevant for forcibly displaced individuals. However, the possibility to have a regular job contract is often limited among this population. The literature states that there might be systemic barriers that prevent from finding employment, but also socio-economic forms of support that could aid in this pursuit. Using data from a new survey in Italy, the job outcome of asylum seekers and refugees was studied using partially proportional odds models. The results show the positive effect of language proficiency and that of the network of friends from the hosting country. Bad health conditions, a lower legal status and a lower educational level reduce the odds of employment of any kind (legal or grey contracts). While high reliance on economic subsidies is associated with lower odds of employment, it is difficult to determine their causal direction.
