Highly Skilled Migrant Women: Achievements and Contributions in Knowledge-Based Economies

Competition among developed industrialised countries for highly skilled migrants has increased in recent decades with the onset of the knowledge-based economy and society (Triandafyllidou and Isaakyan 2014) [...]

Differentiated Embedding and Social Relationships Among Russian Migrant Physicians in Finland: A Narrative Socio‐Analysis

Migrants’ processes of (dis)embedding in local and transnational social networks have received growing attention in recent years, but most research focuses on low‐skilled migration. This study explores the affordances and challenges that Russian physicians, as a high‐skilled migrant group in Finland, experience in these processes in work and non‐work domains. Based on semi‐structured biographical interviews with 26 Russian physicians, the study employs Bourdieu’s socio‐analysis to analyze their narratives. The results reveal that Russian migrant physicians negotiate and experience differentiated embedding across work–life domains in local and transnational contexts. They mostly develop collegial relationships with Finnish colleagues and benefit from fulfilling professional relationships in the work domain. However, alongside time and efforts needed for building social ties, various factors often impede friendship making and socialization with locals beyond the work domain. These physicians cope with individual life circumstances through their enduring and supportive relationships with their Russian relatives and colleagues–friends. These results indicate that high‐skilled migrants have a greater opportunity to connect professionally with locals than low‐skilled migrants, but experience similar challenges to the latter in building close personal relationships.

Skilled Migrant Women’s Experiences of the Job Search Process

In this article, we address how skilled migrant women experience job search processes in Finland, and the expectations and emotions that arise from these workforce encounters, which we explore through unique qualitative data. Although Finland relies strongly on principles of equality and inclusion, highly educated migrant women face major difficulties in job application processes. The employment level of migrant women in Finland is low compared to other Nordic countries, and even though migrant women are more educated than migrant men and their Finnish language skills are better, they encounter many hurdles in employment. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation is getting more difficult for many women with non-Finnish background.There are multiple hurdles in highly educated women workers’ employment, which relate to structural and cultural aspects and which end up in discrimination in recruitment processes.

What goes around comes around. Exploring how skilled migrant founder–managers of SMEs recruit and retain international talent

PurposeThis micro-level study unpacks the recruitment and retention of international professionals to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study highlights the influence of the founders' international experience when applying organisational-level (meso) policies and practices. With their insider experience as skilled migrants, we share how the founders in each of the SMEs mobilised career capital into human resource management (HRM) strategies.Design/methodology/approachCombining literature on SMEs and skilled migrants' careers, we draw upon intelligent career theory to illuminate the recruitment and retention of self-initiated expatriates and skilled migrants in SMEs. With three SME case studies as samples–one micro, one small and one medium-sized organisation in Ireland–we consider the influence of the founders' international experience in the design and application of formal and informal HRM strategies (at the organisational level) that are operationalised to recruit and retain international talent to/in these organisations.FindingsThe HRM practices in the three SME cases in this paper, each run by migrant founders, vary from formalised (for our medium-sized organisation), semi-formalised (for our small-sized organisation) to ad hoc and tailor-made (for our micro-sized organisation). These particular SMEs were often more receptive to hiring other migrants. The important role of the three SME case studies' skilled migrant founders and their own international career experiences was apparent in the particular HRM approaches they adopted. The relevance of intelligent career theory when applying micro-level findings at the meso-organisational level is shown.Originality/valueThe paper presents how the international experience of founder–managers, in turn, impacts on the HRM practices and policies that are implemented to recruit and retain international employees. The study highlights how both organisation size and founder-manager international experience influence the degree of customisation of HRM practices and policies in SMEs, specifically pertaining to the recruitment and retention of self-initiated expatriates and skilled migrant employees. The heterogeneity within the sub-categories encompassed under the umbrella label of SME is emphasised; validating our case study approach, where nuance and detail of the specific organisation can be shared.

Physical activity, sport and transnational migrant spaces in Shanghai, China: (Re)crafting contours of a metropolitan cityscape

This study examines associations between sport/physical activity space, community formation and social life among Shanghai’s highly skilled migrant demographic. There is limited illustration of the roles sport and physical exercise provision and spaces play in this migrant cohort’s lives, community formation and participation in their host societies. Yet, such evidence is of value in determining social policy, urban development and community engagement initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach involving public policy critique, cultural and spatial analysis and virtual community investigation, this article provides a conceptual exploration of ways sport and physical activity frame individual and collective migrant experiences, and how such experiences enmesh with wider geo-spatial, political and domestic context. Amid Shanghai’s presentation as a globally attractive space, we reveal some of the complexities of the cityscape as an emblematic location for highly mobile, highly skilled migrants. A confluence of ideals about urban citizenship, social participation and localised physical activity/sport-based (inter)action, we note, articulate Shanghai anew, and contribute to debates on highly skilled transnational mobility and community formation.

High-Skilled vs. Low-Skilled Migrant Women: the Use of Competencies and Knowledge—Theoretical and Political Implications: an Example of the Elderly Care Sector in Poland

This paper presents the influx of migrants into the elderly care sector in Poland, which, until recently, has been perceived as a country that “exports” caregivers. It describes the results of 31 individual in-depth interviews conducted with immigrant women who take care of elderly in Poland. The purpose of the study was to determine the profile of an immigrant taking up work in the elderly care sector, including the specification of their education level and competencies. It was determined that 55% of the respondents have higher education, including over 20% with a degree in nursing or physiotherapeutic education. It was established that, when analysing migrants in the care sector, it seems necessary not to divide migrants based on their education level (high- vs. low-skilled), but rather to consider the education profile as a whole (general and special profile education). Women with specialised education differ from the other migrants in regard to their better labour market position (higher remuneration, legal employment) and the scope of skill usage. The comparison of high-skilled and low-skilled workers in the care sector is very useful from the perspective of policymakers due to the fact that there is an issue of over-qualification in Poland. The article contributes to the literature, especially research dealing with brain waste, as there is theoretical and empirical gap in research on the differences between high-skilled and low-skilled migrants working in elderly care.

Organizational culture and cultural diversity: an explorative study of international skilled migrants in Swedish firms

PurposeThis paper empirically explores the types and extent of cultural diversity strategies in Sweden, a developed economy with many migrant workers. The role of organizational culture as the context and the association with diversity strategy and the selection of international skilled migrant workers are examined.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data are collected by surveying 249 Swedish large or medium-sized firms. Cluster analysis is used to explore the configuration of organizational culture, cultural diversity strategy (CDS) and selection and development criteria.FindingsThe authors identify five clusters of organizations. Organizational culture is the main contextual factor that influences the CDS and human resource (HR) approaches for selecting skilled migrant workers. The profile of the clusters including organizational culture, diversity strategies, the selection criteria and firm demographics is presented. The empirical results indicate that organizational culture and demographics are associated with the choice of diversity strategy and, consequently, HR processes.Originality/valueThis study's main focus is on international skilled migrants, which is among empirically less-studied areas in global mobility literature. Furthermore, until now more attention has been directed toward studying the consequences of diversity than toward understanding the factors that influence choice of diversity strategies and practices. This study focuses on antecedents of diversity and attempts to understand the factors that influence adoption and implementation of different cultural diversity strategies.

Migration Flow and Social Protection Policy: Case Study Indonesia – Malaysia

Nowadays, the rest of the world concentrates on increasing global economies through the development of technology and productivity growth. This intent creates uneven economic opportunities, inequality, and social disparity between developed, developing, and undeveloped countries. On the other hand, the discrepancy between them contributes to increasing the migration flow, particularly in ASEAN. Moreover, the population movement between Indonesia-Malaysia majority is a low-skilled migrant and brings several problems for both countries. Thus, the scheme of social protection for a migrant becomes a crucial matter to implement. Hence, this paper aims to acknowledge the migration flow and assess Indonesia and Malaysia's social protection schemes. The result shows that distance is an essential variable of Indonesia's worker migrant than Malaysia's wage rate. Hence, the discourse for stopping worker migrants, particularly domestic workers, is not a great solution. Notably, the government should create a proper MoU with Malaysia to protect worker migrants, particularly domestic workers.