"Can I Make a Budget When I Don't Have Money?": Understanding the Experiences of Immigrant and Refugee Participants in a Workforce Development Program

Background and Purpose: Individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) face additional challenges related to income, employment, and career advancement (Linjean et al., 2024) and may benefit from specific support from workforce development programs. A county-sponsored workforce development pilot program aims to support individuals receiving a public benefit by providing life and career coaching and supplemental income to offset the income loss caused by the “benefits cliff” during career advancement. The distinct challenges participants with LEP may encounter due to cultural and linguistic differences, go beyond simple quantitative measures and necessitate an in-depth understanding of LEP experiences to effectively address them.

Methods: Twenty-six LEP participants, including 18 former refugees, completed individual semi-structured interviews. Following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis phases, each interview was transcribed verbatim and verified by the interviewer. Three researchers individually coded a subset of interviews first, collaboratively refined the codes, and applied them to the remaining transcripts, adding additional codes as needed. After that, two of the researchers independently reviewed all transcripts and codes to identify emerging themes and finalized them.

Results: Participants represent a range of educational and employment backgrounds. Data analysis reveals five key findings: 1) desires and realities of learning English, 2) seeking self-sufficiency, 3) managing income and expenses, 4) adjusting is a long process, and 5) any job for now. The “desires and realities of learning English” highlight participants’ strong desire to learn English, while also voicing barriers to language learning such as their workload and responsibilities at home. “Seeking self-sufficiency" is evidenced by participants’ longing to be independent both related to public benefits and in their employment. The fluctuation of public benefits and, for some, the challenges of paperwork, make it difficult to have to rely on these supports to meet their daily needs. Many participants want to be self-employed for reasons related to health and well-being, increased autonomy and authority, and because it aligns with their experiences with work prior to the US. “Managing income and expenses” emerged as participants voiced that they do not earn enough, and many are trying to address living expenses here while also supporting family members abroad. “Adjusting is a long process” is evident as participants discuss how this program has provided support with language, navigating systems, and paperwork. “Any job for now” is a mindset expressed by participants, many of whom experience a mismatch between their backgrounds and current employment.

Conclusions and Implications: These findings support existing literature related to the challenges facing LEP individuals in the workforce. The reality of time, responsibilities, and available work impact their opportunities for career advancement. For workforce development programs that serve LEP participants, it is important to consider how participants attempt to manage language learning, income, and adjustment to a new culture. Refugee and immigrant participants may require more substantial support related to basic needs navigating paperwork and systems than their native English-speaking peers. Because of this, programs and policies should account for longer adjustment processes and time needed to support these individuals in achieving their employment goals.