The Somali community in the UK: What we know and how we ... - ICAR

London, Liverpool, and Manchester. Refugee
Action’s report on the north west of England
records a “small number” of Somalis in Warrington
(Smyth and Mohamed, 1997: 17) and in the
Lancashire districts of Chorley and South Ribble
(ibid: 20). The 2001 census lists several areas with
fewer than 100 Somalis. Apart from Leeds and
Southampton, these include Oxford, Reading,
Middlesbrough, Bedford, Watford, Southend, and
Swindon.
The particular needs of Somalis in areas where
there are only small numbers are as significant as
those in cities with higher settlement. But lack of
numerical data hinders sound service delivery in
all regions. In his study of The Somali community in
Liverpool (2000) Stokes points out that there is no
ethnic monitoring in any field - health, education,
employment, crime. This makes it impossible to
plan and produce local services on an accurate
assessment of need - whether estimates are made
by a local authority or Somalis themselves.
However, even if accurate figures are not yet
available, the main areas of concern for Somalis
have been well documented. The purpose of this
present addition to the literature is not only to
draw together how we know what we know about
Somalis in the UK, but also to highlight anxieties
expressed by Somalis themselves. These may differ
according to geographical area, gender or particular
group - education for some, health for others. But
it is striking how far the reports from different
parts of the UK replicate each other and dwell on
identical problems. Employment, education, physical
and mental health, the particular tensions around
youth and gender, together with the internal
divisions in the community, are all raised as critical
issues by Somalis throughout the UK.
Employment
In the early twentieth century Somalis arrived
in Britain to work. But, as we have seen, seamen
lost their jobs after the war. Those that did not
find work in the industrial and manufacturing
sectors became unemployed, and now many
of those arriving later as refugees have joined
their ranks. No accurate figures are available, but
1987 estimates put the Tower Hamlets Somali
unemployment rate at 87% (El-Solh, 1991: 550,
note 13), with 95% in Liverpool out of work
(Xifaras, 1996: 26). Estimates since then show
a slight improvement, but nothing which would
indicate a gradual integration of Somalis into the
British labour force. A 1993 Liverpool study gave
an unemployment figure of 72.6% (Granby Toxteth
Community Project, 1993: 36). Two years later,
Ditmars (1995: 8) reckoned that 80% of Somalis
in London were out of work. Contemporary
estimates no longer include the older settlers
who have retired, but reflect the employment of
refugees. One estimate for the unemployment rate
among Somali men in 1999 was 87% (Frieda and
Walters, 1999: 26). Studies also find that a high
proportion of Somalis have never worked since
coming to the UK.
This does not appear to depend solely on
the fact that Somalis are members of a black
minority. On indicators such as levels of pay, or
the permanence of the post, Somali refugees fare
worse than other ethnic populations as a whole
(Bloch, 2003). Is it then just a matter of education?
The educational profile of early settlers, who
often came from a nomadic background, has
contributed to the impression that Somalis are
less educated than other refugee communities.
Figures on qualifications are also slanted by the
lower educational level of women, and of many
young people who have missed out on schooling
in Somalia and have been unable to catch up in
the UK. But it is often the case that refugees and
asylum seekers come from the better-educated
sections of their society, the social strata which
could raise the money to escape. Somalis are no
exception - the community in fact contains a large
number of highly qualified men and women.
Somalis constantly express frustration that this is
not recognised, and point to the underutilisation of
their professional skills - doctors driving minicabs,
teachers unemployed. This is confirmed by a recent
study by Bloch and Atfield (2002) who surveyed
82. Dr. Hermione Lovel, personal communication to Kirsteen Tait, ICAR,
King’s College London.
83. O. Hassan, Birmingham Support Group: interview 8.4.03
The Somali community in the UK
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