Abstract
This article seeks to analyze how individual, national and organizational barriers and their interrelationships impact the employment of refugees in the Brazilian labor market, based on the theory of the relational structure of diversity management of Syed and Özbilgin (2009). Through an interpretative paradigm, a qualitative approach, and the use of descriptive research, this study was conducted with eight refugees formally employed in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The findings of this study indicate the prevalence of national barriers over job exclusion for refugees, which may potentiate exclusion factors at the individual and organizational level. The Brazilian government appeared as one of the main national obstacles to integration, playing a particularly important role in the relational structure. This research presents its contributions to regard the refugee’s condition as inherent to an extension of diversity. By shedding light on the perspectives of refugees about the Brazilian organizational reality, the article proposes solutions for policy makers and organizations in order to minimize the impacts that the different barriers provide to the effective integration of these groups in Brazilian organizations.
Keywords:
Refugees; Labor market; Organizations; Barriers; Brazilian