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Flytta eller stanna? : Betydelsen av plats och platsförankring för den kvalificerade arbetskraftens internationella migration

Bogren, Helene LU (2008) In Meddelanden från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar 177.
Abstract
As Swedish companies have increased their commitments abroad, the demand for internationally mobile skilled Swedish labour has increased. Some of this demand concerns temporary positions on so called ’expats-contracts’. Often the discussion on this issue originates from a discourse that claims this type of labour force to be unanimously positive towards moving abroad to work. International temporary migration is associated with possibilities and self-fulfilment. This study questions this opinion.



The study focuses on migration considerations and the relation between migration and

immobility. The purpose of the study is to understand how a number of Swedes, attractive in an international labour market look at,... (More)
As Swedish companies have increased their commitments abroad, the demand for internationally mobile skilled Swedish labour has increased. Some of this demand concerns temporary positions on so called ’expats-contracts’. Often the discussion on this issue originates from a discourse that claims this type of labour force to be unanimously positive towards moving abroad to work. International temporary migration is associated with possibilities and self-fulfilment. This study questions this opinion.



The study focuses on migration considerations and the relation between migration and

immobility. The purpose of the study is to understand how a number of Swedes, attractive in an international labour market look at, and consider, moving abroad to work on temporary contracts or to stay in their home region in Sweden.



The study starts from a geographical approach with a focus on place, place attachment, borders and distances. The ambition is that all the interviewees’ considerations – including those that in themselves do not relate to geographical thoughts – shall be integrated in the analysis. These can for example be aspects of working life and private life such as career, economic considerations, the context that partners and children constitute, social relationships, and the view of security and adventure. The overall picture which the interviewee expresses is analysed through a geographical lens, which means that it is linked to the understanding of place, distance and place attachment.



The study is based on two in-depth interview studies. All together twenty-seven persons have been interviewed. The first study comprising of twelve interviewees was carried out on a large transnational company in Lund, Sweden, during the winter of 2004. The second interview study was carried out in Beijing in the autumn of 2005. It includes fifteen persons, who are all Swedish, who at the time of the interviews lived and worked in Beijing on temporary contracts in different transnational firms.



The study points both at a conceptual and an empirical complexity. It shows that there is no single relation between considerations concerning place, place attachment and inclinations to move or stay. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract
I takt med att svenska företag har ökat sina utlandssatsningar med bland annat direktinvesteringar på utländska marknader har också efterfrågan av internationell rörlighet bland den svenska kvalificerade arbetskraften ökat. En del av detta behov rör tidsbegränsade utlandsposteringar av svensk arbetskraft på så kallade ’expats-kontrakt’. Ofta utgår samhällsdebatten från en uppfattning om att denna typ av arbetskraft är odelat positiv till att flytta utomlands för att arbeta. Internationell tidsbegränsad migration förknippas med möjligheter och självförverkligande. Denna avhandling ifrågasätter denna uppfattning.

Studien lägger fokus på migrationsöverväganden och förhållandet mellan migration och... (More)
Popular Abstract
I takt med att svenska företag har ökat sina utlandssatsningar med bland annat direktinvesteringar på utländska marknader har också efterfrågan av internationell rörlighet bland den svenska kvalificerade arbetskraften ökat. En del av detta behov rör tidsbegränsade utlandsposteringar av svensk arbetskraft på så kallade ’expats-kontrakt’. Ofta utgår samhällsdebatten från en uppfattning om att denna typ av arbetskraft är odelat positiv till att flytta utomlands för att arbeta. Internationell tidsbegränsad migration förknippas med möjligheter och självförverkligande. Denna avhandling ifrågasätter denna uppfattning.

Studien lägger fokus på migrationsöverväganden och förhållandet mellan migration och immobilitet. Syftet är att förstå hur ett antal svenskar som är attraktiva på en internationell arbetsmarknad ser på och funderar kring att flytta utomlands för att arbeta på tidsbegränsade kontrakt.

Studien utgår från ett geografiskt perspektiv med fokus på faktorer som plats, platsförankring, gränser och avstånd. Strävan har varit att alla de funderingar som intervjupersonerna har – även sådana som de inte själva hänför till geografiska funderingar – skall beredas utrymme i analysen. Det gäller aspekter av arbete och privatliv som till exempel karriär, ekonomiska överväganden, den kontext som partner och barn utgör, sociala relationer, samt synen på trygghet och äventyr. Den helhetsbild som intervjupersonen delar med sig av har analyserats genom en geografisk lins, vilket innebär att de kopplas till synen på platser, avstånd och platsförankring.

Studien baseras på två djupintervjustudier. Totalt har tjugosju personer intervjuats. En första intervjustudie, omfattande tolv intervjupersoner genomfördes i Lund under vintern 2004. Den andra intervjustudien genomfördes i Beijing under hösten 2005. Den omfattar femton personer, vilka samtliga är svenskar som vid intervjutillfället bodde och arbetade i Beijing på tidsbegränsade kontrakt.

Resultaten visar på en stor spännvidd i personernas uppfattningar och att plats och platsförankring är centrala i denna problematik. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • Docent Westin, Kerstin, Kulturgeografiska institutionen, Umeå universitet
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Skilled migration, immobility, migration decisions, place attachment, place
in
Meddelanden från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar
volume
177
pages
238 pages
publisher
Lund University
defense location
Geocentrum 1, Sölvegatan 10, sal 111 (Världen)
defense date
2008-04-04 13:15:00
external identifiers
  • scopus:44149105192
ISSN
0346-6787
ISBN
978-91-976521-4-8
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
a98bdf8b-3ec0-45e3-95ff-82daff181a67 (old id 1047627)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 14:27:26
date last changed
2022-01-30 02:01:03
@phdthesis{a98bdf8b-3ec0-45e3-95ff-82daff181a67,
  abstract     = {{As Swedish companies have increased their commitments abroad, the demand for internationally mobile skilled Swedish labour has increased. Some of this demand concerns temporary positions on so called ’expats-contracts’. Often the discussion on this issue originates from a discourse that claims this type of labour force to be unanimously positive towards moving abroad to work. International temporary migration is associated with possibilities and self-fulfilment. This study questions this opinion.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The study focuses on migration considerations and the relation between migration and <br/><br>
immobility. The purpose of the study is to understand how a number of Swedes, attractive in an international labour market look at, and consider, moving abroad to work on temporary contracts or to stay in their home region in Sweden.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The study starts from a geographical approach with a focus on place, place attachment, borders and distances. The ambition is that all the interviewees’ considerations – including those that in themselves do not relate to geographical thoughts – shall be integrated in the analysis. These can for example be aspects of working life and private life such as career, economic considerations, the context that partners and children constitute, social relationships, and the view of security and adventure. The overall picture which the interviewee expresses is analysed through a geographical lens, which means that it is linked to the understanding of place, distance and place attachment.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The study is based on two in-depth interview studies. All together twenty-seven persons have been interviewed. The first study comprising of twelve interviewees was carried out on a large transnational company in Lund, Sweden, during the winter of 2004. The second interview study was carried out in Beijing in the autumn of 2005. It includes fifteen persons, who are all Swedish, who at the time of the interviews lived and worked in Beijing on temporary contracts in different transnational firms.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The study points both at a conceptual and an empirical complexity. It shows that there is no single relation between considerations concerning place, place attachment and inclinations to move or stay.}},
  author       = {{Bogren, Helene}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-976521-4-8}},
  issn         = {{0346-6787}},
  keywords     = {{Skilled migration; immobility; migration decisions; place attachment; place}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Meddelanden från Lunds universitets geografiska institution. Avhandlingar}},
  title        = {{Flytta eller stanna? : Betydelsen av plats och platsförankring för den kvalificerade arbetskraftens internationella migration}},
  volume       = {{177}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}