scholarly journals Skilled Migrants in the Swedish Labour Market: An Analysis of Employment, Income and Occupational Status

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3428
Author(s):  
Nahikari Irastorza ◽  
Pieter Bevelander

In a globalised world with an increasing division of labour, the competition for highly skilled individuals—regardless of their origin—is growing, as is the value of such individuals for national economies. Yet the majority of studies analysing the economic integration of immigrants shows that those who are highly skilled also have substantial hurdles to overcome: their employment rates and salaries are lower and they face a higher education-to-occupation mismatch compared to highly skilled natives. This paper contributes to the paucity of studies on the employment patterns of highly skilled immigrants to Sweden by providing an overview of the socio-demographic characteristics, labour-market participation and occupational mobility of highly educated migrants in Sweden. Based on a statistical analysis of register data, we compare their employment rates, salaries and occupational skill level and mobility to those of immigrants with lower education and with natives. The descriptive analysis of the data shows that, while highly skilled immigrants perform better than those with a lower educational level, they never catch up with their native counterparts. Our regression analyses confirm these patterns for highly skilled migrants. Furthermore, we find that reasons for migration matter for highly skilled migrants’ employment outcomes, with labour migrants having better employment rates, income and qualification-matched employment than family reunion migrants and refugees.

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupa Banerjee ◽  
Mai Phan

Summary The present study compares the occupational trajectories of highly skilled immigrants in regulated occupations to those outside of the regulated occupations, from their pre-migration occupation, to their first job in Canada, and to subsequent jobs. Licensing requirements are likely to affect new immigrants’ occupational trajectories since they have a direct effect on how employers assess qualifications. This study utilizes growth curve modeling (GCM) and a unique dataset that contains detailed information on new immigrants’ experiences in Canada: the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). Our findings indicate that immigrants working in regulated occupations prior to migration who are unable to find jobs in regulated occupations in Canada face a significantly greater drop in occupational status when they first arrive than those working in unregulated professions in their home country. Furthermore, their occupational progression over time is not faster than that of their counterparts from unregulated professions. Those who worked in unregulated fields prior to migration but found jobs in regulated fields in Canada experience an improvement in their occupational status after migration. Lastly, for those who worked in regulated professions in their home country and were able to find jobs within regulated fields in Canada, initial occupational status scores are similar to their scores in their country of origin, and there is little change in occupational status with time in Canada. The results of this study highlight the importance of ensuring that the licensing process is made easier to navigate for new immigrants. Our findings clearly indicate that immigrants who are able to successfully enter a regulated profession soon after migration fare much better in terms of occupational status than those who are unable to become licensed.


2021 ◽  
pp. e2021014
Author(s):  
Rupa Banerjee ◽  
Feng Hou ◽  
Jeffrey G. Reitz ◽  
Tingting Zhang

Formal educational qualification is increasingly built into immigrant selection systems in many countries, but in a global context, the transferability and portability of such qualifications has been questioned. In 2013, Canada introduced the requirement for a formal assessment of educational credential equivalence for applicants in the skilled worker category. In this study, we use a Canadian national immigration database and difference-in-differences methodology to investigate whether requiring formal Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) as part of the selection process for skilled immigrants has improved labour market outcomes. Our results indicate that the ECA requirement is positively related to early employment rates and earnings for both men and women. However, this effect is limited to those with no previous employment experience in Canada. We also find that, even with the ECA requirement, significant differences in the earnings of immigrants from different source regions remain. Implications and recommendations are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Andriescu

Although immigrants’ settlement and integration into the labour market are subject to a number of regulations, previous research has primarily investigated the role of admission policies in selecting immigrants. There are other policies, however – such as the recognition of foreign qualifications – that fulfil a similar role, although these policies are largely overlooked in the literature. This study explores the way these policies select among wanted and unwanted highly skilled immigrants, subsequently facilitating or hindering their integration into jobs matched to their level and type of qualifications. This article draws on semi-structured interviews with highly skilled Romanian immigrants with various professional qualifications and focuses on their experiences with recognition processes in Germany over the last decade, highlighting the procedures’ effects on individuals’ upward or downward employment trajectories.


Polar Record ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trine Medby Fossland

ABSTRACTArctic Norway is a region with a shortage of highly skilled professionals and international expertise, in many work sectors. Fast growing cites attract people from other regions and also high skilled migrants. It is a paradox that skilled migrants often fail to get qualified work in the local labour market. To understand this and to capture the complexity of labour market participation, this article draws on interviews with recruitment agencies and highly skilled migrants, attending a recruitment programme initiated by the ‘Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry in Norway’. This paper draws on recent literature on highly skilled migration and analyses the complex and relational sides of labour market integration for skilled migrants in an urban Arctic town.


2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol-Anne Gauthier

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of obstacles to socioeconomic integration faced by highly-skilled immigrant women (HSIW) to Quebec, followed by a discussion of Quebec’s socio-political context and interculturalism, in an effort to better situate these obstacles. With these in mind, implications for diversity management are discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is largely based on a review of the immigrant integration, interculturalism and diversity management literatures pertaining to the socioeconomic integration of highly-skilled immigrants. It focusses on the socioeconomic integration of HSIW in the Quebec context. Findings – The authors find that researchers should continue to examine aspects of the social and political contexts in which immigrant integration and diversity management take place when conducting studies in these areas. The authors also encourage continued research pertaining to specific groups, as these may bring to light-specific dynamics that can lead to exclusion. Practical implications – This paper includes implications for diversity management in organizations seeking to foster inclusive practices with regards to ethnic minorities and immigrants in general, and HSIW in particular. Originality/value – The paper sheds new light on immigrant integration and diversity management in Quebec by bridging the gap between three areas of study that are interconnected but seldom discussed together: socioeconomic integration of immigrants, interculturalism and diversity management in organizations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saara Koikkalainen

Abstract Europe is home to a globally unique area where the barriers of transnational migration have been largely removed. This article focuses on Finnish highly skilled, intra-European migrants and their labour market situation immediately following the economic crisis of 2008. Based on two consecutive online surveys (carried out in spring 2008 and summer 2010) of tertiary educated Finns living in other EU countries, the article examines the effects of the global economic downturn on the careers of these highly skilled migrants. Only 16 per cent of the respondents report that their labour market situation had worsened. A higher percentage (24%) felt that their situation had improved and the majority (54%) had either experienced no change in their situation or stated that their reasons for changing jobs or moving had nothing to do with the crisis. The article concludes that these migrants were protected from the full force of the crisis by their high human capital, flexibility of alternating between studying and work, employment in international workplaces and their intra-European migrant status.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas Karamanis ◽  
Charis Naxakis

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the minimum wage level and the rates of unemployment and employment in the Greek labour market. More specifically, this study analyses the evolution of the minimum wage during the period 2000-2013 and also whether these changes have really affected the unemployment and employment rates or not. The main conclusion of our study supports several other studies conclusions suggesting that the level of minimum wage in Greece did not really affect the unemployment and employment rates. The views of economists on effect of the establishing of minimum wages are quite contradictory. The evaluation of relationship between labour market and minimum wage rate is either positive or negative or even not related at all, depending on the assumptions about characteristics of labour market. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-60
Author(s):  
Lauren Bari

Abstract Solo or ‘freelance’ self-employment is becoming a more popular form of self-employment in the labour market. In some jurisdictions such as the UK, this growth is being attributed to rising numbers of women – and women with children in particular - seeking the flexibility and autonomy of freelance work as a response to shortages of flexibility in wage-and-salaried employment. Yet little is known about how these trends might be occurring in Ireland and who might be represented in this small but growing cohort of workers. This research uses Labour Force Survey data to explore trends in female solo self-employment in Ireland between 2003 and 2019 and key variables are drawn upon to develop a profile of this underexplored labour market group. The analysis highlights that while growth in solo self-employment rates has been slow and numbers still relatively small, it is increasingly made up of highly educated and professional women in relatively high-paid sectors opting for flexible working arrangements.


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