We compare the labour market outcomes of recent refugees in the 2005–2007 period with those of other migrants in the UK. We compare refugees with a full sample of migrants and with a sample of recent migrants. Controlling for relevant characteristics, we find that 8 and 15 months after the grant of protection, refugees have significantly worse outcomes than other migrants, including a lower likelihood of being in employment and higher likelihood of unemployment (i.e. not currently employed, but looking for work). However, 21 months after the grant of protection, the labour market outcomes of recent refugees are not statistically different from those of recent migrants, and the difference with those in the full sample of migrants becomes smaller. Results also show that female refugees are at a substantial economic disadvantage compared with male refugees and other female migrants. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.