Highly-Skilled Migrants, Gender, and Well-Being in the Eindhoven Region. An Intersectional Analysis

Camilla Spadavecchia,Jie Yu

doi:10.3390/admsci11030072

Camilla Spadavecchia, Jie Yu

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11030072

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Abstract

The shortage of skilled labor and the global competition for highly qualified employees has challenged Dutch companies to develop strategies to attract Highly Skilled Migrants (HSMs). This paper presents a study exploring how well-being is experienced by HSMs living in the Eindhoven region, a critical Dutch Tech Hub. Our population includes highly skilled women and men who moved to Eindhoven for work or to follow their partner trajectory. By analyzing data according to these four groups, we detect significant differences among HSMs. Given the exploratory nature of this work, we use a qualitative method based on semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that gender plays a crucial role in experienced well-being for almost every dimension analyzed. Using an intersectional approach, we challenge previous models of well-being, and we detect different factors that influence the respondents’ well-being when intersecting with gender. Those factors are migratory status, the reason to migrate, parenthood, and origin (EU/non-EU). When all the factors intersect, participants’ well-being decreases in several areas: career, financial satisfaction, subjective well-being, and social relationships. Significant gender differences are also found in migration strategies. Finally, we contribute to debates about skilled migration and well-being by including an intersectional perspective.

Highlights

The population decline and the shortage of skilled labor have challenged European countries and companies to engage in the global battle for “the best and the brightest”.In this framework, over the last twenty years, numerous EU countries, including TheNetherlands, have started to develop policies and strategies to attract and retain Highly Skilled Migrants (HSMs) (Tarique and Schuler 2010; Suutari et al 2014; SEO 2015; Cerna and Czaika 2016; Shirmohammadi et al 2019)
We found that gender is a crucial factor of experienced wellbeing for numerous dimensions analyzed, except for trust in the health system, culturally related needs, and family well-being
Our findings show that HSMs do not represent a homogeneous group (Kofman 2000), and their well-being is influenced by several factors, such as gender, parenthood, migration reason, and migration status

Summary

Introduction

The population decline and the shortage of skilled labor have challenged European countries and companies to engage in the global battle for “the best and the brightest”. In this framework, over the last twenty years, numerous EU countries, including The. Netherlands, have started to develop policies and strategies to attract and retain HSMs (Tarique and Schuler 2010; Suutari et al 2014; SEO 2015; Cerna and Czaika 2016; Shirmohammadi et al 2019). With its 13,100 Knowledge Migrants (KMs) in 2015, the Brainport Eindhoven represents the preferred working area for economically active international employees in the South of the Country, 75% of which are males (Decisio Report 2017). Research shows that women represent the most highly qualified people who move for non-work-related reasons and, do not enter the country through a highly skilled migration scheme

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