5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Refugees' rights to work are often restricted during the asylum process, while their skills are considered inapplicable, inadequate, unrecognised or misrecognised outside their country of origin. As a result, they often work in precarious conditions. On the contrary, workers with skills that are globally applicable and in demand enjoy various privileges as migrants and expats. New technologies enabling remote work could help to address the injustices and inequalities faced by refugees. Following ILO recommendations, several countries have included refugees in their programmes to develop IT skills, particularly programming, to prepare a future workforce that is not location dependent. Remote work has also been identified among Ukrainian and Syrian refugees. We invite papers that explore the challenges, promises and risks of digital work opportunities for refugees, and how new technologies are changing the divide between skilled and unskilled workers, and between migrant and refugee workers. How can inclusion and protection be ensured in digital jobs and livelihoods? What are the barriers to digital work for refugees? What are the experiences of refugees working remotely? We also encourage papers that look to the future and consider how remote work can help countries torn apart by war and conflict to rebuild their economies and societies, unlocking the potential of digital work to address global inequalities.