EXAMINING EMPLOYMENT QUALITY AMONG FEMALE IMMIGRANT TRAINEES IN TAIWAN

This study examined a proposed model of employment quality among female immigrants after their participation in vocational training in Taiwan, drawing on the developmental-contextual model of career development. It simultaneously tested the relationship between the distal contextual variable (i.e., perceived Taiwanese attitudes toward immigrant women (PTAs)), proximal contextual variables (i.e., vocational training experiences (VTEs) and social support (SS)), the individual-level variable (i.e., self-perceived employability (SPE)), and employment quality (EQ) in the model. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 447 female immigrant trainees who had worked for over 6 months after vocational training in Taiwan. The results supported the proposed model based on the developmental-contextual approach, which explained 56.9% of the variance in EQ. The results further revealed that PTAs positively affected SPE, VTEs and SS. In turn, VTEs and SS positively directly and indirectly affected EQ through their impacts on SPE, and SPE positively influenced EQ. The three most important factors that determined the EQ of immigrant women who participated in vocational training were VTEs, SPE, and PTAs. Keywords: career development, employment quality, immigrant women, vocational training

Female Immigrant Entrepreneurship: The Experience of Chinese Migrants to Australia

This article reports on findings from interviews with a small group of Chinese female immigrants to Australia who have started up their own business since their arrival. Unlike most publications concerning immigration that focus upon financial factors, we have instead concentrated on their personal journeys, why they started their businesses and the benefits they sought. We interviewed thirteen participants in Adelaide who had recently arrived from China with the aim of immigrating permanently to Australia. Immigration records indicate that by 2020 this figure had risen to over 160,000 per annum. However, it dropped again quickly in 2020 following the beginning of COVID-19. Nonetheless, according to recent Australian government records, over 866,200 current Australian residents have Chinese ancestry and 74% are first-generation migrants. The primary motivators for respondents were independence and control as well as income and skill development. Respondents were also satisfied by the personal development they gained.

Unhealthy Immigrants: Sources for Health Gaps Between Immigrants and Natives in Israel

The study focuses on sources for health gaps between Jewish immigrants and native-born Israelis. Unlike traditional immigrant societies where immigration is viewed as economically motivated, immigrants returning to Israel are viewed as the “returning diaspora”. Because immigrants in Israel are entitled to the same health benefits and medical services as native-born, we expect Israel to attract unhealthy immigrants in disproportionate numbers. The data for the analysis are obtained from the Israeli National Health Interview Survey (2013–2015). The data set provides detailed information on health status and illness, sociodemographic attributes and origin of immigrants. Three major origin groups of immigrants are distinguished: the former Soviet Union, Western Europeans or the Americans (mostly Ashkenazim), and Asians or North Africans (mostly Sephardim). Our findings lend support to the expectations that the health status of all immigrant groups is poorer than that of native-born Israelis. The nativity–illness gap is most pronounced in the case of male immigrants (from Europe or the Americas or South Africa or Australia) and for female immigrants (from countries in the Middle East or North Africa) and least pronounced in the case of immigrants arriving from the former Soviet Union for both gender groups. Decomposition of the gaps into components reveals that some portion of the illness gap can be attributed to nativity status, but the largest portion of the gap is attributed to demographic characteristics. Neither socioeconomic status nor health-related behavior accounts for a substantial portion of the nativity–illness gap for all subgroups of immigrants.

Next to Nothing: The Impact of the Norwegian Introduction Programme on Female Immigrants’ Labour Market Inclusion

In 2003, Norway implemented an ‘Introduction Programme’ that aimed to increase labour market inclusion among newly arrived immigrants. Its main objectives were to facilitate free courses in Norwegian language training and social studies, and education or on-the-job training. The participants were given an allowance to attend the programme. This paper uses administrative register data to evaluate the effect of the Norwegian introduction programme on female immigrants’ employment and earnings prospects. The sample consists of female immigrants from Asia or Africa who immigrated to Norway 18 months before or after the implementation of the introduction programme. The study measures their probability of being employed and their mean earnings 4–6 and 7–9 years after immigration. The results show that the Norwegian introduction programme had a small but significant effect on women’s employment, but not on their earnings. This article suggests that the small effect of the programme on employment and non-effect on earnings may imply a displacement effect rather than an improvement in language skills and labour market skills.

COVID-19 and female immigrant caregivers in Spain: Cohabiting during lockdown

From a gender perspective, female immigrant domestic caregivers have been particularly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic: first, as female immigrants, and second, due to their work within the domestic care sector, which has been so badly affected in this pandemic. This study investigates the emotions and experiences of 15 female Latin American immigrant domestic workers, caregivers in five Andalusian cities (Seville, Cádiz, Málaga, Huelva and Córdoba) (Spain) who were cohabiting with their employees/patients during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, using qualitative research through in-depth interviews and life stories. The results show the moral debt accrued by the caregivers with the family who employ them, while worsening the physical and psychological health of many of the caregivers, due to both work overload and fear of the global pandemic.

Major depressive disorders in young immigrants: A cohort study from primary healthcare settings in Sweden

Aims: Previous studies on major depressive disorder (MDD) among immigrants have reported mixed results. Using data from primary healthcare settings in Sweden, we compared the incidence of MDD among first- and second-generation immigrants aged 15–39 years with natives. Methods: This was a retrospective nationwide open cohort study. Eligible individuals were born 1965–1983, aged 15–39 years at baseline, and resided in Sweden for at least one year during the study period 2000–2015. We identified MDD cases through the Primary Care Registry (PCR). The follow-up for each individual started when they met the inclusion criteria and were registered in the PCR and ended at MDD diagnosis, death, emigration, moving to a county without PCR coverage, or the end of the study period, whichever came first. Results: The final sample included 1,341,676 natives and 785,860 immigrants. The MDD incidence rate per 1000 person-years ranged from 6.1 (95% confidence intervals: 6.1, 6.2) to 16.6 (95% confidence intervals: 16.2, 17.0) in native males and second-generation female immigrants with a foreign-born father, respectively. After adjusting for income, the MDD risk did not differ substantially between first-generation male and female immigrants and natives. However, male and female second-generation immigrants had a 16–29% higher adjusted risk of MDD than natives. Conclusions: This cohort study using primary healthcare data in Sweden, albeit incomplete, indicated that second-generation immigrants seem to be at a particularly high risk of MDDs. The underlying mechanisms need further investigation.