FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY EMPLOYMENT AMONG REFUGEES FROM THE FORMER SOVIET-UNION

The relationship among select demographics, vocational service, and jo b placement among refugees from the former Soviet Union was investigat ed, Vocational service and employment history were tracked for 12 mont hs for 379 Soviet refugees who were employable adults under age 55, wh ose first visit to Jewish Vocational Service Chicago occurred between October 1 and December 31, 1991. Employment was related to gender, mar ital status, and age as well as to proficiency level in English as a S econd Language and vocational service. Results of a logistic regressio n analysis suggest that the frequency of contact with a job developer, age, and gender were indicators of early employment. Implications for employment counselors working with refugees are noted.