Exploring Connections within Documented-non-European Immigrants' Social Networks and the Influence of the Connections in Labour Market Integration, Lund-Sweden

Abstract

This thesis explores the labour integration of documented-non-European immigrants into the Swedish labour market through their immigrants' networks. Most documented-non-European immigrants face labour integration challenges due to the lack of specific labour skills. In Sweden's case, most jobs on the labor market are highly-skilled jobs that require that the immigrant acquires or possesses some level of Swedish labour skills such as the Swedish language and work experience. Through these networks, immigrants can enhance these labour skills to facilitate the job search process. However, immigrants’ networks are not static but embedded with connections with different resources to address labor integration needs. Consequently, this research investigates the types of connections within immigrants' networks, their usefulness, the obstacles they may feature, and how different documented-non-European immigrants affiliate and use these connections to solve labor integration needs. Social capital theory and concepts such as bonding, bridging, and linking social capital are discussed to examine these connections' relevance in labour integration. These concepts served as analytical themes for the field data analysis. Based on a qualitative research approach, I interviewed ten purposely selected documented-non-European immigrants to investigate their experiences and perceptions regarding their networks of connections and the influence of these connections in the labour integration process. Interviewees mentioned that strong and weak ties, the Swedish Public Employment Service, and technology-mediated channels were connections used to address labour integration needs. However, affiliations to and prioritizing these networks of connections in solving labour integration needs from study findings were based on the immigrant's status, such as being highly-educated or less- educated. Though these networks of connections, according to the interviewees, accrued some benefits in addressing labour integration needs, they also encountered some limitations.

Popular Abstract

Documented-non-European immigrants are perceived on the European labour market as different from the native European population. They are regarded as lacking the necessary labour skills. Most jobs on the Swedish labour market are highly-skilled jobs, which requires the documented-non-European immigrant to possess some considerable level of labour skills and the Swedish language. Scholars have identified the immigrant's immediate networks as alleviating some of these imperfections. Immigrants' networks are not static structures but embedded with connections with differing resources. Consequently, this study aims to use social capital theory to investigate the usefulness of some of these connections in the labor integration of documented-non-European immigrant job seekers on the Swedish labour market. Through semi-structured interviews, ten purposely selected documented-non-European immigrants who relied on their networks of connections to access the Swedish labour market were interviewed. The results showed that immigrants prioritized and relied on their strong-tie and weak-tie connections, the Swedish Public Employment Service, and technology-mediated connections depending on their educational background. The highly-educated relied extensively on the Swedish Public Employment Service and technology-mediated connections for labour-related issues and strong-tie and weak-tie connections for social support. The less-educated relied immensely on strong-tie connections for labor integration issues and social support, who later linked them to weak-tie connections and the Swedish Public Employment Service. Technology-mediated connections mimicked strong and weak ties characteristics. This study suggests that the Swedish Public Employment Service and technology-mediated connections are equally relevant connections within immigrants’ networks. This study argues that strong-tie connections were exploitative and information sharing concerning labour opportunities were vague. The study findings contradict the general assertions that weak-tie connections are instrumental in labour integration. This study's immigrants, both less-educated and highly-educated, relied on weak- tie connections for social support just as their strong-tie connections. The Swedish Public Employment Service, however, from the study results had structural inadequacies. This study explored the benefits and risks of immigrants relying on the mentioned networks of connections for labour integration. Consequently, scholars of migration studies should investigate and develop theories capable of predicting and explaining balance within networks of connections in labour integration, and migration literature should look at how different immigrants use the various networks of connections in solving labour-related issues.

• author: Cudjoe-Teye, Doerte
• supervisor: Charalambos Demetriou
• organization: Sociology; School of Social Work; Department of Sociology
• course: WPMM42 20201
• year: 2021
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Social Sciences
• keywords: Documented-Non-European Immigrants, Labour Market Integration, Immigrants' Social Networks, Social Capital, Networks of Connections
• language: English
• id: 9038018
• date added to LUP: 2021-02-01 16:47:28
• date last changed: 2021-02-01 16:47:28