Relatively high levels of public assistance use, and low levels of labor force participation among recent arrivals, have focused attention on the ability of refugees to attain self-sufficiency reasonably soon after entering this country. A survey focusing on Southeast Asian refugees resettled in the United States since 1975 indicates that refugees increasingly participate in the labor force over time, but that employment is hindered by adverse conditions in the U.S. economy. Occupational backgrounds do not strongly affect the types of jobs secured, and refugees are distributed fairly evenly throughout the economy, with high technology jobs accounting for a surprisingly large share of jobs held by Indochinese. Former laborers, farmers, fishermen, homemakers, and students have the most difficulty finding jobs. Schooling and English language ability of the most recent arrivals is roughly comparable to that found in the early arrivals, although for cohorts arriving from 1978 to 1982, roughly 45 percent knew no English at all when they arrived. The major recipients of public cash assistance are households with many members, particularly dependent children; the use of public assistance by all refugees, however, diminishes over time as jobs are found. (CJM)