FINAL REPORT
Title: Internal Restrictions on the Participation of the Vietnamese and Ukrainian Ethnic Groups on the Czech Labour Market Petra Ezzedine-Lukšíková, Jiří Kocourek, Yana Leontiyeva, IOM
Prague
Project Category: Research project - Thematic area II.
Labour Markets including Retirement, Social Assistance
and Health Economics
Executing Agency: International Organisation for Migration
Project Partner Agencies (or National
Counterparts):
Mgr. Jiri Kocourek – Applied Sociology, Petra Ezzeddine-Luksikova FHS UK Prague
Geographical Coverage: Czech Republic Project Management Site: IOM Prague
Target Group(s): Ukrainians, Vietnamese
Duration: 10 + 2 months
Budget Total: US$ 18. 347 Project Period: I. and II.
Reporting Period: 26 January 2005 - 15 January 2006
A. REPORT CONTENT
A. REPORT CONTENT B. INTRODUCTION
1 . Previous IOM 2003 research
2 . Chosen Conceptual General Thoughts about Migrants and their Restrictions in the Labour Market
4 . Current research presumptions and objectives
5 . Conducting the research C. RESEARCH
6 . Quantitative research
6.1 Conducting the research
6.2 Content of the questionnaire
6.4 Sampling and its interpretation
6.4.1 Sampling
6.4.2 Interpretation of the sample obtained
6.5.1 Conception of Integration of Foreigners in the Czech Republic
6.5.3 Professional potential
6.5.4 Economic situation and its reflection
6.5.5 Motivation to stay
6.5.6 Information resources
6.5.7 Institutional awareness
B. INTRODUCTION
1. Previous IOM 2003 research
The current research ensues from the previous research activities of IOM Prague conducted in close co-operation with the following research experts:
- Doc. RNDr. Dušan Drbohlav, Faculty of Natural Sciences of Charles University Prague (social geography and migration issues expert),
- Mgr. Petra Lukšíková-Ezzeddine, IOM Prague (social anthropologist),
- Mgr. Jiří Kocourek – applied Sociology (Vietnamese studies expert and expert in the field of applied sociology),
- Mgr. Yana Leontiyeva – Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (sociologist, Ukrainian expert),
- Mgr. Jaroslav Maroušek, UNHCR (expert in the field of Armenian culture and community)
- Mgr. Jan Černík, IOM Prague (social anthropologist).
Pilot Project “Integration of Foreigners and Support to Organisations and Associations of Foreigners in the Czech Republic” was for the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in 2003.
The research mentioned above was part of a Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs project.
This project should contribute to the prevention of social exclusion in the Czech Republic.
The main objectives of this project were the description of the adaptation level of foreign communities and identifying the problematic fields in their adaptation. Part of the project was also to develop public web sites www.domavcr.cz where foreigners can find basic information about the legal conditions relating to foreigner’s life in the CR and about their cultural and
sporting life etc. in their mother language.
The main research objectives as part of the project mentioned above were: to describe the integration process of foreigner’s communities regarding the factor of social exclusion. The research report (see IOM, 2003) contains brief theoretical overviews about the phenomenon of migration, migrant adaptation and state migration policy and about economic adaptation theory in terms of its theoretical concepts. The research was focused on three chosen migrant groups: Ukrainians, Vietnamese and Armenians. The migrant group’s profiles written by experts focusing on the relevant communities belong to the first output of research.
The research results also confirm that state integration policy has two distinguished different groups of migrant not only by country of their origin or their ethnicity but also by their social- economic status, social-cultural characteristics and concrete policy and legislation conditions in the destination country. Regarding the discriminating factors mentioned, the Ukrainian community was characterized as a community with transnationalizating migration and circulating. The Vietnamese was characterized as a separated but not unsuccessful community.
Previous research results mentioned above have inspired us to make the decision to conduct further research in which we could:
- confirm previous results by research with a more representative sample,
- increase awareness about the level of adaptation factors of Ukrainians and Vietnamese living in the CR,
- identify and describe groups of migrants containing the last positions in the integration process,
- focus on and describe concrete restrictions of these communities in the Czech Labour market, because economic activities strongly impact all other activities of migrants and their living standards and styles.
2. Chosen Conceptual General Thoughts about Migrants and their Restrictions in the Labour Market
The main current research objectives (see below) are to examine internal restrictions on the labour market of specified Ukrainian and Vietnamese communities based on their network ties with ethnic community membership. Network analysis provides a vocabulary for expressing the social environment as patterns or regularities in the relationship among actors (Wasserman and Faust, 1994). The relationships within the network include: network size-the number of participants in the network , density –the „extent to which everyone one of ego´s contacts know each other“ (Mitchel, M 1969), multiplexity –„degree to which relations between participants include overlapping institutional spheres, individuals who are work associates may also be linked by family ties, political affiliations, or club memberships (Portes, 1995), clusters or cliques-a specific area of wider network with higher density than that of the network as whole, strength of ties or set of ties (Emirbayer and Goodwin, 1994).
Faust identifies three types of transnational social spaces among migrants, each requiring different types of ties: kinship groups predicated on ties of reciprocity, transnational circuits requiring instrumental ties, and transnational communities predicated on the solidarity. The strength of these ties is their functionality and the efficiency of their activity in terms of the objectives pursued rather than community based logistics (Morokvasic, 1999, Peraldi 2001).
In this sense these ties come close to what (Marc Granovetter, 1972) coined weak ties. They connect members of different groups on both sides of the border into networks of information and assistance-they are acquaintances based on trust and reciprocity, rather than kin and personal friends. For the shuttle migrant - traders whose sojourns are usually of shorter duration, the functioning of the network is even more determinate by their activity than by
„common origin“. Among problems identified by a number of social scientists, it is often pointed out that the structure of a network itself says very little about qualitative nature of the relationships comprising it. For these reasons, we especially focused on individual reflection of the quality of the network relations.
We suggest that large numbers of our samples (especially in the case of Ukrainians) are in a position of transnational migrants. They should be involved in a specific kind of network in order to be assisted in finding job, accommodation, legal status etc. There are evidently a number of employers- members of community - offering jobs for their ethnic members in their country of origin. This service is a part of their business in work promoting agencies.
(Yeang, 1998) notes that in case of transnational business network there is evident importance of trust and mutual understanding within a network in order to avoid opportunism and promotes the general welfare of the network. “Migrants could decide primarily to stay in contact only with their own ethnic group. Later migrants could get more in contact with the host society (which is, for example, the case of Irish or German migration to the USA in the 19 century). The relationship with a migrant's own community could play an important role in decreasing the impact of cultural shock... But on the other hand migrants relating community organisations could stay in unwanted isolation” (Drbohlav, IOM, 2003). These should be the reasons for the choices migrants made in the case of preferring a work promoting agency or paid assistance given by a member of their community rather than state assistance.
Business networks mobilize different forms of knowledge, skills and competence. This competence should include understanding of legal and social conditions for foreigners in the Czech Republic as this is important information for their access to the labour market.
Migration has for a long time been and still is largely understood as a one-way, unidirectional process which implies emigration, settlement and integration in the society of immigration, loss of one world and the gradual acceptance of the other. In the US, as Glick-Schiller et al.(1995) suggests, „several generations of researchers have viewed immigrants as persons who uproot themselves,“ leave behind home and country and face the painful process of incorporation into a different society and culture. Thus migration has been equated with a loss and rupture: loss of family, primary groups, and country, and therefore related to suffering and
´double absence, migrants being neither here nor there. This has considerably influenced contacts with and orientation toward the country of origin would jeopardize the upward mobility and integration into the received society. (Piore, 1979).
We prepared our research also regarding ethnic community concepts based on economic activities of migrants. Economic factors form ways of migrant’s adaptation in majority society. Drbohlav (IOM, 2003) mentions, for example, Middleman minority model (Bonacich, 1973), Ethnic entrepreneur/ethnic economy model (Light, 1972), Ethnic niche model (Waldinger, 1994), Ethnic enclave economy model (Portes-Bach, 1985, Portes-Rumbaut, 1990). These models describe economic activities of migrants regarding their internal social and ethnic potential (culture, solidarity, stratification) or destination country conditions (discrimination, labour market etc.). Relevant neoclassical theory has presumed that migrant’s reasons to leave their home country are determined by their desire to increase quality of life.
They usually believe that they pass migration constraints which will be followed by economic profit. This theory emphasizes that migrants want to find a job and participate in the labour market. The theory of double market declares specific seizing of economical labour sectors.
The primary sector is for educated, people with high income, the secondary sector is typical for migrants (lower income, labour conditions and positions etc.).
In our research we decided to:
- analyse subjective individual reflections of the migrant situation, -analyse personal experience of employers with migrant workers
-analyse opinions of state officials from Labour Offices on the migrant situation in the Czech labour market
- explain internal restrictions of migrant communities in the labour market regarding their relation to original tradition (cultural and social),
- specify migrant’s conditions in the labour market in the CR and their restrictions.
4. Current research presumptions and objectives
Upon the analysis of existing research and the results from previous Pilot research on the Integration of foreigners in the Czech Republic, IOM Prague 2003 we defined the following presumptions of our research:
1/ The selected groups of foreigners are limited in their entrance to the labour market not only legislatively, but mainly
a/ by internal limitations inside their communities / counting on the help provided by their native community members – professional and non professional and sometimes relying on mediation conducted by a Czech employment agency.
b/ socio-cultural habits from their native culture and bureaucratic systems.
c/ intercultural relations between the community and the majority of the society.
d/ the low level of knowledge and capability which disables them from playing an active role in the labour market in the Czech Republic.
e/ low level of subjective motivation and specific expectations of the labour market in the Czech Republic.
2/ The level of integration in the host culture reduces the level of internal restrictions on the labour market.
Up to 31.12. 2005 according to the Czech statistical Office (www.czso.cz) the three most numerous groups of foreigners living in the CR were: Ukrainians (87 789), Slovaks (49 446) and Vietnamese (36 832). Slovaks share a long history of common tradition with Czechs and their relationships are not the typical relations of migrants and host society, however the situation is changing, Slovaks do not have such huge problems with integration because of their cultural and historical similarities. The main reason for choosing the largest migrant groups to describe in this report is because their living in the CR has the potential to have the strongest impact on Czech society in the future.
Both communities (Ukrainians and Vietnamese) are numerous in the CR and their members often face huge problems with their integration in the Czech Republic, both external and internal restrictions play their role. This research report shall contribute to the identification of the internal restrictions. The aim of the research is to find out whether there are internal limitations to entering the labour market for the chosen groups of migrants and also to structure those limitations with regard to the possibility of finding an effective solution for the given problem.
We define the internal restrictions as culturally and socially contingent...Those are family structure and relations, gender role, network ogranization, communication style, social organization and social hierarchy .
Through previous conceptual texts we can recognize quite a high potential for ethnic or social restrictions preventing communities from integrating. The results could specify which integration restrictions are connected with the labour market which could be confirmed by research and which labour market restrictions are caused by social and ethnic characteristics.
The current research follows up on the results gained in the above mentioned Pilot Research and shall enlarge it for the following topics relevant to the labour market in the Czech Republic:
1/ Internal restrictions on the participation in the (if some particular labour market is
meant, e.g. Czech Labour market) labour market of the chosen ethnic groups (Vietnamese, Ukrainians).
2/ Factors determining community differences of approaches to the Czech labour market.
3/ Comparison of collected data from groups of foreigners with a Czech research sample to distinguish better which factors reduce participation in the labour market of all ethnic groups without regard to the ethnicity and which factors are ethnic factors.
Using this research we can describe the socio – cultural – legislative position of foreigners in the Czech Republic by individual reflexes of migrants. Our theoretical interpretation frame contains (except texts above) also obtained qualitative research based on interviews with employers (Czechs, V, U) and with administrators of the labour office.
The results of this research may be used not only by the state administrative institutions in their direct work on the labour market, such as the Labour Offices, but also in order to design and grant further well specified projects which will eliminate the potential for the social exclusion of the target groups in their access to the Czech labour market.
5. Conducting the research
The mission of the International Organization for Migration based in Prague is to be a responsible entity for research as described. The content of the research was secured by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers coordinated by Mgr. Jiří Kocourek - Applied Sociology researcher, Mgr. Petra Lukšíková-Ezzeddine, IOM Prague researcher. Administrative and organizational tasks were performed by Pavlina Filipová.
Research team:
- Doc. RNDr. Dušan Drbohlav, Faculty of Natural Sciences of Charles University Prague (social geography and migration issues expert),
- Mgr. Petra Lukšíková-Ezzeddine, IOM Prague (social anthropologist),
- Mgr. Jiří Kocourek – Applied Sociology (Vietnamese studies expert and expert in the field of applied sociology),
- Mgr. Yana Leontiyeva – Sociological Institute of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (sociologist, Ukrainian expert),
- Ing. Nguyen Viet Cuong and Phung Thi Phuong Hien (community experts).
In our team experts on many issues were represented. Research preparations have a multi- disciplinary character. We could prepare research regarding community specifics.
Our team had to concrete on research objectives and to define the research sample, which is described below. Objectives had to be operationalized into a set of indicators and relevant questions finally included in the prepared research methods and techniques (also see below).
Finally the team decided to conduct three types of research techniques. At first quantitative research to achieve a larger and more representative sample and two sets of qualitative research to receive an interpretation frame form “the other side” from the opinions of employers and from employees of the Labour Office. All three techniques we describe separately. To collect, process and interpret data we use both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. Both approaches we consider complementary to describe complicated and multi- sectional reality (Petrusek, 1993).
C. RESEARCH
6. Quantitative research
6.1 Conducting the research
Our team has prepared a research strategy to ask respondents about their opinions and social- economic situation and to compare the answers of all respondents (sampling see below) and between ethnic groups. We have chosen quantitative techniques and analysis. Our team has prepared translated quantitative questionnaires for each of the groups researched (Ukrainians, Vietnamese and Czechs) (questionnaire’s topics see below 6.2). Finally this questionnaire contained closed and open questions with different frames for answering. Our team participants gave lectures for interviewers about filling in the questionnaire. We prepared interviewers not only to introduce the questionnaire to the respondents and explain important terms which could be understood by respondents from different cultures differently but also to prevent the constraints of the interview potentially caused by differences in intercultural communication style and social perception patterns.
Regarding our experience with previous research we decided to find native speaking interviewers, because many of our respondents do not speak Czech well enough to understand our research questions. Because of intercultural differences it is not possible to translate some of the terms, thus it is necessary to explain them for the respondents. Native speakers able to reflect the meaning of the terms from both sides (migrant and Czech) become necessary to conduct the research as they know both cultures.
During our team work we developed a list of topics that we want to describe from the results of the research. These topics were chosen in cooperation with community experts to ensure that respondents will understand them and will be able to answer our questions.
After conducting the interview respondents could choose a small reward: propagation or informative materials (student’s text book on the Czech language, advertisement leaflets of websites for foreigners, material about the health care system in the CR and about housing in the CR, a small school vocabulary book, a magazine produced by a Vietnamese non-profit organisation.
6.2 Content of the questionnaire
The final identified and selected questionnaires were focused on the following thematic points divided into several parts:
basic sample characteristics – sampling (see below)
To compare the actual sample achieved with the intended one we placed basic sample characteristics into the questionnaire. Sample characteristics of the final data file we could also compare with other research samples conducted in the field of integration of our chosen groups.
Sample’s indicators:
- citizenship - residence permit - purpose to stay
- economic activity (current and in the past) - current profession
- place of living - place of work
- length to stay in the CR - residence interruption
- age - sex - education
Basic characteristics of integration
The collection of questions investigated the level of cultural and social integration of migrants in the Czech Republic. They also serve as a distinctive sign of the overall dealing with the samples also through comparison with the Czech control sample. We follow these hypotheses:
A great level of integration in the host culture reduces the level of internal restriction on the labour market.
We can divide the restriction of foreigners into: restriction in motivation on the level of stereotypes and prejudice, individual motivation, restriction of knowledge and skills in the area of basic knowledge of Czech legislation and Czech society on a socio-cultural basis and in the area of relationships between the members of the foreign community and majority society
This part will include the following thematic fields:
- The level of social exclusion/inclusion –in the fields of work and housing.
- The family environment of migrants in the Czech Republic
- Subjective way of understanding the level of knowledge about the Czech Republic, subjective value of knowledge of the Czech language.
- Intensity of work - Living expenditure - Migrant’s expectations - Media awareness
Awareness about institutions and their evaluation
The collection of questions investigates the level of knowledge about institutions and the subjective migrant’s evaluation of those institution's work. Besides a number of official contacts it will also contain the evaluation of the professionalism, knowledge and administrative, effectiveness of employees work.
The results of the analysis of this part could be used in the preparation of educational programs, as well as program strategies of the state and non profit sector while employing foreigners in the Czech Republic.
This part will include the following thematic fields:
- awareness about state institutions and their evaluation
- awareness about non profit organizations and their evaluation - awareness about community or rather foreign organizations Experiences with employing in the Czech Republic The collection of questions investigates:
a./ individual reflection of position on the labour market – In comparison with other citizens of the Czech Republic, evaluation of their labour conditions and salaries from their employment, type of treatment by the management of the company, where they work, relationships at the working place, legislative obstacles, administrative obstacles etc., the desire to enhance self-education or at least re-qualification.
b. /the level of orientation in the Czech legal and social system
The aim is not to find out about the level of knowledge of concrete facts, but the ability to be able to orientate themselves in the system and the possibilities it provides including where to find relevant informants or potential help.
In this part we ask respondents about their working or business conditions. For this reason the questions of this part were filtered. A number of them were addressed specially to entrepreneurs, to employers, to employees and finally to the unemployed.
6.4 Sampling and its interpretation 6.4.1 Sampling
Intended sampling
We have already mentioned several general sampling presumptions ensuing from the research objectives. In our quantitative research we will ask specific social-economic groups;
Ukrainians and Vietnamese described in texts above. We have mentioned we want to describe the situation of respondents who are not well integrated , who have to face many integration and labour market constraints. These groups are people who have the most important problems with living and integration in the CR. We have also confirmed by expert opinions and texts that these groups of Ukrainians and Vietnamese are really numerous in the CR. For example, in the case of the Vietnamese it could be at least one third of all Vietnamese in the CR (Kocourek, Nguyen Cuong).
Regarding the team's potential we have decided to involve 150 Ukrainians
150 Vietnamese 100 Czechs
in our research. Czechs are included in the sample as a comparative sample with the purpose of monitoring the cultural differences in their relationship towards the way they deal with employment and establish a relationship frame for analyzing the questions concerning the level of integration and the seriousness of obstacles facing foreigners on the labour market in the Czech Republic.
During our multidisciplinary cooperation we developed the following construction of research samples that follow the strategy of the research intention. To achieve the intended sample while formatting the research samples we used the methods described as purposive and snow- ball sampling. The content of the sample is described below by sampling criteria. The sample was mostly defined by community experts because there are no statistical resources dividing migrant groups into integrated or not integrated groups. For such reasons only the results of our research could confirm our criteria method. If the results show that the respondent group have to face many constraints in labour market, our sampling method and expert’s survey will be confirmed.
Some research (for example, focused on Vietnamese - see Brouček, 2002, Hofman, 2002) does not define the sample more deeply before conducting the research because it is very difficult to find respondents willing to answer research questions. Much of the research failed because no Vietnamese respondents wanted to answer. Most research uses “snow-ball”
sampling. To describe our researched group deeper we will use similar criteria as in (IOM, 2003) and we would make them a little bit wider. Because it is very difficult to find respondents (Our sampling method will be a combination of the snow-ball technique and purposive and quasi-quota sampling. Respondents will ask their friends and families but also unknown persons; but they had to control their individual samples by the following criteria:
a/ citizenship: They should not be citizens of the Czech Republic (in the case of Ukrainians and Vietnamese). - 100% of respondents. Qqq The Czechs are citizens of the CR.
b/ residence permit: They should not live in the Czech territory according to any other type of residence permit (asylum, diplomatic suffering). People in this category follow another administrative system which requires a condition of having another type of biography and life strategy. - 100% of respondents. Qqq The Czechs are citizens of the CR.
c./ length of stay in the CR: They should have lived in the territory of the Czech Republic for a period of more than 1 and less than 16 years. This criterion guaranties the
compatibility of samples, because the migrants who have chosen to live in the Czech Republic for a longer period seem to have been indulged in the social system of the Czech Republic. - 100% of respondents. Qqq The same condition for the Czechs.
d/ Age limit: the respondents age is no less than 25 years and no more than 55. Because of the research intention we monitor economically active persons in the productive age. - 100%
of respondents. Qqq The same condition for the Czechs.
e./ economic activity : respondents should not be retired persons, students, retired people with a disability, women on maternity leave, men and women on family holidays. The research focuses mainly on economically active persons.- almost 100% of respondents – (there were few currently unemployed Ukrainians in the sample, who were actively looking for a job) Qqq The same condition for the Czechs.
f./ place of living, place of work: Respondents should live in Prague, Brno, Plzeň or the suburbs of these towns on the condition that their work activity takes place in the regions of the same towns. The purpose is to monitor the same number of respondents in the regions with the aim of their later comparison. The respondents were chosen from the regions with the highest concentration of foreigners possessing residence permits in Czech Republic. We can consider Prague and Brno as migrant’s gates to the Czech Republic. In Plzeň, a year-on-year decrease in the number of foreigners holding residence permits was reported in the year 2004.
– 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 of respondents. Qqq The same condition for the Czechs.
g/ economic status and legal status: of respondent’s activities (business, employment, interrupted employment etc.). We have chosen these criteria because status and situation of foreigners are strongly influenced also by social and legislative conditions of their lives. In the case of Vietnamese (80% entrepreneurs, cca 18% employees and the rest unemployed), in the case of Ukrainians (maximum 40% entrepreneurs, 60% employees, several unemployed). Qqq The same condition for the Czechs (50%, 50% and the rest).
h/ In order to have a compatible and comparative sample we have chosen different „ethnic“
socio-professional variants. We therefore focus on the main migration wave of the mentioned groups, on the majority population of both groups among foreigners in the Czech Republic.
Details of Socio-professional groups
Vietnamese: kiosk – type retail, retail of textiles, toys & dolls, electronic devices, shoes (businessmen, employees, employers) either men or women. - 90% of Vietnamese respondents.
Vietnamese: business and translation and mediation services (businessmen, employees, employers) either men or women. - 10% of Vietnamese respondents.
Ukrainians: building work, painting work, forestry (employers, businessmen, employees) in the case of men, cleaning work, home assistance etc. in the case of women. - 80% of Ukrainians respondents.
Ukrainians: work intermediation services - 20% of Ukrainians respondents.
Czechs: doing business corresponding with the business of Ukrainians and Vietnamese (employers, businessmen, employees) (40%workers + 40%businessmen + 20%servicemen or mediators of respondents).
i/ other quotas: sex and education for all three groups Tab.: 6.1
50 - 80% Males 20 - 50% Females
cca 20 % Elementary education
cca 60 % Secondary and high school education cca 20%
Achieved sample description Citizenship
Tab.: 6.2
Percent
Number of respondents
Intended sample structure
Citizenship of respondents
40 150 150 Ukraine
33 123 150 Vietnamese
Socialistic Republic
27 103 100 Czech Republic
100.0 374 400 TOTAL
The table shows how many respondents our team interviewed. The sample consists of 150 (40%) Ukrainian respondents and 123 (33 %) Vietnamese respondents. We were not able to achieve the whole intended sample of Vietnamese (see below).
Residence permit
From a total of 150 Ukrainian respondents 134 (89%) hold long-term residence permits (includes visa for over 90 days and long-term residence permit) and 16 (11%) of them hold permanent residence permits. From total 123 Vietnamese respondents 106 (86%) hold long- term residence permits and 17 (14%) of them hold permanent residence permits.
Purpose of stay in the Czech Republic Tab.: 6.3
Percent
Purpose to stay - permanent residence permit
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
- 6 2 previous long-term residence
permit in Czech Republic
- 0 1 humanitarian reasons
- 7 6 family reunification
- 1 1 other reasons (not specified)
- 1 1 not specified
103 120 150 Base
Tab.: 6.4
Percent
Purpose to stay - long-term residence permit
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
- 2 0 studying, research, development
- 17 63 employment
- 64 19 business
- 3 3 family reunification
- 1 3 other reason (not specified)
- 0 1 not specified
103 120 150 Base
More than Ukrainians, Vietnamese received permanent residence permits based on having had
a previous long-term residence permit. This corresponds with the fact that Ukrainians after the Second World War have been migrating from the 1990s in comparison with Vietnamese, who have been coming from the 1950s. Ukrainians represent the largest migration group and the vast majority of work permit holders. Vietnamese belong mostly to the groups of tradesmen and entrepreneurs.
Working position Tab.: 6.5
Percent Current working positions Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
16 65 22 businessman without
employees
74 16 73 employee
5 9 5 employer
4 9 2 unemployed
103 123 150 Base
Tab.: 6.6
Percent Main current working position Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
11 63 20
businessman without employees
78 18 65 employee
4 11 4 employer
7 8 2 unemployed
83 123 137 Base
Working positions correspond in the case of both Ukrainians and Vietnamese with their purpose of stay. Citizens of Vietnam, Ukraine and Slovakia are predominant among foreign entrepreneurs. According to experts (Phung Hien, Nguyen Cuong etc.) it is less complicated and also takes less time to obtain a trade license (issued by Trade Licensing Offices) than a work permit (granted by the Labour Offices), that is why some foreigners prefer to legalize their stay by asking for the residence permit for the purpose of business although they in fact work as employees.
Main current profession Tab.: 6.7
Percent Main current profession Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
42 - 91
construction workers, painters, forestry, cleaning and other various auxiliary services
19 - 7
employment inter-mediators, advocacy, consulting, business services etc.
7 - 2 unemployed
27 100 - stall retail
5 - - other
98 118 145 Base
Ukrainian workers form the main Ukrainian professional group in our sample attained.
Vietnamese entrepreneurs – stall retailers form the main Vietnamese professional group. The Czech sample contains a higher number of both workers and retailers to compare their answers with other groups.
Main residence town Tab.: 6.8
Percent Main residence town Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
40 31 35 Prague
30 43 33 Brno
29 20 15 Plzeň
- 5 - Chomutov
- - 17 Kladno
4 1 - Other
103 123 150 Base
A higher concentration of foreigners holding residence permits in the Czech Republic is usually obvious in regions with larger cities where there are better opportunities for employment and business, as well as quite high anonymity. Foreign nationals living in the Czech Republic permanently are registered also in the districts close to the Czech national border with Germany, in North Moravia, and near the national border with Poland. More Vietnamese also live in towns along the border with Germany and Austria (e.g. Brno, Chomutov) where large marketplaces with cheap goods intended for Austrian and German customers are located. In fact, in the town of Plzeň we were not able to find enough compliant respondents to answer, for this reason we have completed the sample with Kladno Ukrainians and Chomutov Vietnamese instead.
We also asked respondents about their locality of living inside the towns mentioned above to check that respondents are not concentrated in just one living centre. The places of residence of the respondents are not concentrated; they are located in many different districts of the selected cities mentioned above.
Length and interruption of stay in the Czech Republic Tab.: 6.9
Percent Length of stay in the CR Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
- - 3 less than 1 year (1-11
months)
- 9 27 1-2 years (12-24 months)
- 34 44 3-6 years (25-83 months)
- 41 27 7-12 years (84-144 months)
- 7 - 13 - 14 years
100 8 - 15 and more years
103 119 34 Base
The age structure of the sample obtained mirrors a real migration history of both groups.
There are 8 % Vietnamese who have lived longer than 15 years in the CR and 3% of Ukrainians who have lived here less than one year here in the sample. It once more confirms the previous claim about the Ukrainians transnationalisating and Vietnamese prolongation migration and integration strategy in this time.
Tab.: 6.10
Percent
Interruption of stay in the CR
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
- 2 9 Yes
100 98 91 No
103 101 141 Base
We asked respondents if they have interrupted their stay in the CR (in terms of visa continuity interruption or state interruption of residence permit). The sample mirrors Ukrainian more frequent migration.
Age of respondents Tab.: 6.11
Percent Age Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians Years
- 5 3 18 - 25
25 22 32 26 - 30
25 16 15 31 - 35
13 23 20 36 - 40
15 18 14 41 - 45
9 10 11 46 - 50
13 6 3 51 - 55
- 1 3 56 and more
103 116 149 Base
Our interviewers obtained a heterogeneous sample in terms of age intervals. Our respondents fill all intended age intervals.
Sex of respondents Tab.: 6.12
Percent Sex Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
46 31 33 Female
54 68 67 Male
96 113 150 Base
Education Tab.: 6.13
Percent Achieved education Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
10 12 0 elementary education
33 32 5 secondary school (no leaving exam)
(secondary)
21 18 28
technical secondary school with leaving exam
15 14 33
non-technical secondary school with leaving exam
2 10 college (not university degree)
2 2 4 university (3 - 4 years, bachelor)
19 1 20
university (5 and more years, master)
1 0 0 post-graduate studies
95 107 148 Base
Most Ukrainians have secondary education: secondary non-technical education with leaving examination – 33%, secondary technical education with leaving examination – 28% and secondary education without leaving exam – 5%.
In comparison with Ukrainians, Vietnamese are generally less educated.
6.4.2 Interpretation of the sample obtained Sampling constraints
Our interviewers were not able to obtain the ideal intended sample despite the fact that they were prepared and native speaking. In the case of research focused on foreigners this is not a rare finding.
First we did not obtain results from all 150 Vietnamese respondents. But this is the same experience as some other research teams who were also not able to find and observe an
adequate Vietnamese sample (for example in research about foreign communities’ specific needs detection in the area of the town Plzeň, Diocesan charity Plzeň, 2000, Integration of foreigners (research in progress in IOM Bratislava, Survey on expectations of libraries, Multicultural Centre Prague, 2005 etc). Some of them found just up to 10 or no respondents.
Observing 123 Vietnamese respondents during our research conducting interviews lasting on average 68 minutes we could seriously consider as a success. The reasons why the Vietnamese respondents are not open to answering correspond with the reasons of their closeness in Czech society according to Czech researchers (Brouček, 2002, Drbohlav, IOM, 2003, Kocourek 2003). There are many factors determining such separation; especially the traditional communication style and life style of Vietnamese coming into a new host society.
To obtain a complete sample of Vietnamese we asked for new interviewers three times from Vietnamese students who would be able to find and to recruit respondents. Many of them refused to co-operate by interviewing people. Finally we co-operated with ten interviewers.
We provided them with lectures but only some of them were able to return us questionnaires with relevant answers. Czech interviewers would not be able to find such a big sample and would not be able to communicate with Vietnamese because of their very low Czech language skills, however, we extended fieldwork until September.
But otherwise we obtained a complete sample of Czechs and Ukrainians as intended.
Because of difficult field conditions our interviewers introduced into the research sample a few respondents who do not fit with our ideal intended sample (in the cases of: length of stay in the CR and age). But these deviations we do not consider to take an important role in our interpretations because of the low numbers of these respondents. Thanks to the character of our snow-ball sampling method we could suppose that our respondents are recruited from a similar social environment despite the fact that they do not fit in with the intended sample characteristics.
Comments on sample representativity
In fact we have approximately achieved the intended sample structure. This enables an interpretation of data output as results describing migrant groups of Ukrainians and Vietnamese with the following characteristics:
- most persons with long-term residence permit
- most persons with purpose of residence: business and employment - most persons work in the following professions: workers and retailers
- inhabitants living and working in the Capital and Brno (gate towns) and other bigger towns - respondents have been living in the CR from three to twelve years
- most are within the productive age from 26 to 45 years old - the respondents were in the majority men.
- most of the respondents have secondary and high school education.
The characteristics mentioned above correspond with the expert description of the most restricted migrant groups (see texts above). Using terms Vietnamese and Ukrainian in the following report results we write about this specified group of both migrant groups. It does not mean that we are speaking about a statistically ideal representative sample of Ukrainian and Vietnamese migrants in the CR. We can conclude that our results will be purposively representative in terms of our sample definition and research intentions. Because our sample is unique with its total number of respondents, before we start the interpretation of results we add a comparison of our specific Vietnamese group with Vietnamese groups described by other research, to see to what extent we could consider our research results for all migrants from both the groups described.
Comments on questionnaire’s validity
The average interview length for all respondents was about 55 minutes. In the case of Vietnamese it was 68 minutes. Interviewers had to explain the meaning of some words used in the questionnaire for Vietnamese respondents despite the fact that it was already translated.
Many words used very often by Czech people Vietnamese do not often use in their daily life and daily speech. It is also a question of general awareness of Vietnamese about policy, state institutions, the economic system etc. For those reasons mentioned the interview lasted so long. For this reasons respondents sometimes do not have enough time to answer all the questions in the questionnaire and a relatively high number of questions and variables in the data file contain missing answers.
However long the interviews lasted the respondents answered that they would co-operate on some other similar research one or more times again anyway. We asked them: “Would you participate in any similar research once more?” More than 70% of respondents answered
“yes” or “probably yes”. Respondents were interested in the research topics; sometimes they also said that they get more information about “Czech thinking” through the research questions. We consider the questionnaire to be a valid means of research.
Possible interpretation of sample data
There is also a possibility to obtaining sample characteristics for community differences and the resulting elementary general restrictions in the labour market. There are two main differences between the Ukrainians and Vietnamese relating to their cultural and social characteristics: Length of stay in the CR and legal-economic status. The latter could be determined by the former. Our sample also agrees with the characteristics of IOM 2003 research where we can find: “... different migration and adaptation models into Czech society – called in a very simplified manner: 1/ “transnationalizating” and in the CR circulating Ukrainian community, 2/ separate but not unsuccessful Vietnamese community...” (Drbohlav, IOM, 2003). Our sample fit with the presumptions above.
Ukrainians live in the CR for a shorter time than Vietnamese; which could be documented by:
- a longer tradition of Vietnamese migration into the CR (from 1950s) - longer stay in the CR of Vietnamese
- lower number of permanent residence permission of Ukrainians ensuing from a previous long-term residence permit in the Czech Republic
- more frequent interruptions of stay in the CR of Ukrainians
Ukrainians tend mostly to become employees in the CR with the same purpose. Mostly they are construction workers, painters, foresters, cleaning and perform other various auxiliary services. 100 % of the Vietnamese described are stall retailers. Through migration Vietnamese migrants very often become entrepreneurs in terms of Czech legislation. Vietnamese choose much easier ways to oppose administrative barriers. Their lives are changing too as conditions of their life become more difficult. They receive a trade license (but also in this case they sometimes become employees despite having a trade license).
How could we explain the differences mentioned? Ukrainians come from a geographically close country with similar political and economic traditions, with similar grammar structure of language. It is much easier to find a job, to receive an employment permit, to overcome administrative restrictions and to understand Czech people and culture and to come into contact with Czechs for Ukrainians than for Vietnamese. It is also much easier and cheaper to travel from the Ukraine to the Czech Republic and back. These differences we can easy explain by geographical and social-cultural differences between Vietnamese and Ukrainians relating to Czech culture and to inter-cultural relations and legislative conditions regarding foreigners in the CR.
We suppose it is not an important question at the beginning of our results to find out what type of characteristics caused the restrictions on these two communities but to say that of course it is a whole complex of characteristics: geographical, traditional, historical, cultural, social etc.
Description: Comparison of integration of respondents with regard to internal restrictions 6.5.1 Conception of Integration of Foreigners in the Czech Republic
The 11 December 2000 the Czech government ratified resolution Nr.1266, which is still in force, about the implementation of a Policy relating to the Conception of Integration of Foreigners in the Area of the Czech Republic and about the suggestion of the conception mentioned. It is not our objective to describe this document, however, among many other principles and theoretical definitions, research and study analysis the conception also contains a description of the main goals and areas of integration of foreigners living in the CR. It would be interesting to relate our description of general integration issues (see questionnaire’s description above) with the concept of foreigners’ integration of the Czech state. We also want to draw some conclusions about which areas of integration can influence labour market restrictions of both the groups described.
Basic chosen conception goals:
- Foreigners living in the CR for a longer time and in the most legal way possible should have similar rights and legal status to Czech citizens. The state should systematically and thoroughly protect human rights and the liberties of foreigners (politic, economic, social and cultural rights).
- To protect equal rights and opportunities of foreigners in terms of their situation in the field of:
- housing,
- employment and entertainment, - culture,
- language and religion, - education,
- health care and insurance,
- political participation and discrimination.
- To develop conditions for coordinated implementation of integration.
The areas of integration mentioned are very similar in other theoretical materials about dimension of integration (see for example Barša, 1999). We have investigated all the areas above into our questionnaire. According the conception, the quality of developed conditions could be detected also from complex behaviour of foreign communities and their reactions to integration and consequences of these reflections. The following text speaks also about such reflections.6.5.2 Settlement, housing, family and community concentration
Housing Tab.: 6.15
Percent Where do you live?
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
28 31 4 family house
62 46 42 Flat
6 6 18
rooms (have not the whole own flat)
2 17 35 Hostel
1 0.0 1 Other
95 110 147 Base
Tab.: 6.16
Percent Housing ownership Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
20 19 5 Own
78 74 85 Rented
8 7 11
free housing (in flat, house of friends, relatives etc.)
94 110 130 Base
Our Ukrainian respondents mostly live in flats and hostels. The 85% of them live in rented accommodation in the Czech Republic. A similar number of Vietnamese respondents (19%) live in family houses like Czechs (comparing to only 5% of Ukrainians). The 74% of Vietnamese respondents live in rented accommodation. 7% are guests for free (compared with 11% of Ukrainians) and 19% of them live in their own property. We believe that for Ukrainians the choosing of a “free housing” response option does not necessary mean a free of charge accommodation, because lodging is sometimes covered by the services of the
“client” described above.
Family concentration in the CR
Almost 61% of Ukrainian respondents live in Czech Republic without their relatives, 15% of them have just one relative living with them, 11% of them live with two relatives. When questions were directed particularly about children (persons under the age of 18 years) - 43%
of Ukrainian respondents have no children, 27% two children, 25% one child, 5% three children. 71% of Ukrainians mentioned that they leave their children abroad (including many women). Only 13% of respondents have 1 child with them in Czech Republic and 6% 2 children. 61% of Ukrainians live in the Czech Republic without any relative.
There is a completely different situation in Vietnamese sample concerning family background in Czech Republic - only 9% of Vietnamese respondents live here without relatives, 17% (the biggest share) with only 1 relative, 14% with 2 relatives and 30% have3 or more relatives in the Czech Republic.
Reflection of local concentration of community
32% of Ukrainians did not answer (were not probably able to answer) the following question (compared to only 2% of Vietnamese): Do your countrymen live in the nearest surroundings of your place of residence (reachable within5 minutes on foot)? 12% of Ukrainians said they live without any other Ukrainians (compared to 15% of Vietnamese). The 46% of Vietnamese answered that there are 1 to 3 Vietnamese families living not far from their place of residence (compared to 30% of Ukrainians).
Residence near the community centres (stall market, labour exchange centre etc.)
We asked respondents the following question: Is there any place of your countrymen frequently meet near your place of residence (reachable within 10 minutes on foot)? If there is, what sort of place is it? For Ukrainians the distance from such centres did not seem very important (64% of respondents cannot answer or did not answer the question). 52% of Vietnamese live close to the market stalls , 14% close to the labour exchange centre (compared with 7% of Ukrainians).
6.5.3 Professional potential Previous (re-)qualifications and courses
Only 19 (from 150) Ukrainians have passed some courses (some of them for example qualification courses for hairdressers etc.). 54 (from 123) Vietnamese have passed some courses. All 54 respondents take Czech language courses in Vietnamese teaching centres.
After passing these courses none can speak Czech fluently, however they are able to pronounce a few words useful during stall retail. Czech respondents have more opportunities to attend different types of courses. 33 of them (from 103) visit courses such as qualification courses, foreign language courses, financial and accounting courses etc.
Ukrainians spend on average 2 913 CZK per month on attending courses. Vietnamese spend on average 6500 CZK for three-month language courses. Czechs spend on average only 600 CZK per month on attending courses.
What education would respondents attend?
Tab.: 6.17
Percent
Do you think over you would visit any educational courses?
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
55 29 22
yes, I would spend some money for it
17 43 33
yes, but I would not spend money for it
29 28 46 no, I would not visit it
91 96 138 Base
46% of Ukrainian respondents do not intend to attend any courses. 43% of them would attend courses if they had better economic conditions (higher profit, more time, better language knowledge etc.). Ukrainians who would visit courses would spend on average 1970 CZK per month on them. Vietnamese 2300 CZK and Czech 4600 CZK per month. Both migrant groups would like to improve their knowledge of the Czech language, about EU, Czech society and Czech legislation, conditions for foreigners to stay in the CR. Czechs want learn about many different topics (qualifications, hobbies etc.).
Vietnamese respondents frequently mentioned the following important constraints as reasons why they cannot attend courses:
- Not enough time (59%) - Bad Czech language (40%) - Too much work (19%).
Constraints mentioned by Ukrainian respondents:
- Not enough money - Language constraints - Not enough time
- Not enough information - Care for their families.
Czechs mentioned:
- Not enough time - Not enough money.
Change of working position in the CR Tab.: 6.18
Vietnamese Ukrainians
Working positions in the CR: in the past/in the present
PRESENT PAST PRESENT PAST Percent
65 29 22 14
businessman without employees
16 33 73 75 employee
9 5 5 2 employer
9 2 2 5 unemployed
123 123 150 150 Base
Respondents answered multiple-choice questions: What are your contemporary / past legal / economic positions? In both communities, we can see more businessmen (with or without employees) than in the past. There is an improvement among Ukrainians - numbers of unemployed have decreased from 5% to 2%, while among Vietnamese, there are more unemployed now (from 2% to 9%).
6.5.4 Economic situation and its reflection Working hours
Tab.: 6.19
Mean Working hours per a day
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians Days
8.3 8.8 10.5 Monday - Friday
2.6 8.2 8.3 Saturday
1.1 8.0 3.7 Sunday
93 106 143 Base (Monday - Friday)
88 106 142 Base (Saturday)
93 96 130 Base (Sunday)
Vietnamese work all seven days in the week, Ukrainians mostly six days a week, Czech mostly five days a week.
Objective reflection on personal income Tab.: 6.20
Percent
Subjective meaning: Net Income compared to Czech average income in the same field of work Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians
12 1 15 significantly below the average
26 11 47 below the average
53 54 32 average
8 29 6 above the average
0 5 1 significantly above the average
3 3 2 Mean from above
92 97 139 Base
Tab.: 6.21
Percent
When you think about your average monthly personal net income during the last year, do you earn higher or lower monthly wages than the average income in the CR (15,000 CZK)?
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians Your income is ...
2 5 6 much higher
21 31 14 higher
24 50 23 approximately average
36 13 36 lower
17 1 20 much lower
3 3 4 Mean from above
95 100 147 Base
Ukrainians mostly have lower income than Vietnamese. They say (56%) they have rather lower or significantly lower income than the average income in the Czech Republic, while Vietnamese have average income or earn a little bit more than the average CR salary.
Subjective income comparison of respondents with Czech average income (V, U and C people with the similar field of work and profession are compared) fits with their comparison after recognising the real average income in the CR (15000 CZK per month). For example before we asked real level of average income (15000 CZK) Ukrainians mostly said they have average and bellow average income. After they recignise the real average income in the CR, they once more said their income is lower or average.
Living expenditure Tab.: 6.22
Mean (CZK) Living expenditures per month
Czechs Vietnamese Ukrainians (red colour means that the mean is counted on lower base than 30)
4,598 5,237 4,191 Housing
180 5,500 3,157 Education
585 5,141 3,522 Children education
8 2,375 5,000 Other family members education
345 2,262 4,867
Financial support for friends or relatives in home country
4,774 5,634 3,512 food
1,156 1,261 1,156 free-time, culture, sport
130 825 1,205 health care
349 1,241 1,453 health insurance
249 1,459 1,744 retirement savings
118 1,286 1,164 other insurance
13 0 5,000 firm watching
74 200 927 money for officers
437 488 1,577 administrative fees
10 456 1,521 services and mediation
1,215 2,905 2,037 other regular costs
11,331 17,588 12,721
Total Individual month regular costs (The respondents estimated the sum.)
