Economic status is a determinant of health and is strongly tied to an individual’s health outcomes.
Refugee communities experience a decline in socio-economic standing due to displacement and migration. Furthermore, English proficiency has proven to be a challenging aspect of refugee resettlement in many host nations and has a compounding effect not only on health but also other social determinants including income, transportation, and employment (Feinberg et al., 2020). According to Healthy People 2030, individuals with steady employment are less likely to live in poverty and more likely to be healthy, but many people have trouble finding and keeping a job.
To tackle this, it is important to provide opportunities for economic independence and sustainability through various employment programs, workshops, training and grants that are catered to refugee communities’ needs and is conscious of the existing lingual and educational barriers that are unique to these communities.