Abstract
This article combines literatures on immigrant integration and migration intermediaries to add a skilled perspective to theories of immigrant integration. Using a case study of foreign-born engineers in the Norwegian oil and gas industry, we develop a multi-level conceptual framework of actors that are involved in the integration of foreign-born engineers. We identified integration actors through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with human resource managers, foreign-born workers, and other integration actors. The framework is intended as a tool to move beyond single-level, unidirectional studies of immigrant integration and to provide a more in-depth understanding of the integration of highly skilled migrants in the workplace. We find that state actors fail to assist with the long-term integration for highly skilled migrants. Instead, private and voluntary actors provide information about work regulations and working life. In addition, employers and coworkers play an important role in the integration of highly skilled migrants in the workplace. We also find that highly skilled migrants can be agents of integration as they “scale up” initiatives to higher levels of decision-making.
Highlights
As the number of international migrants increases worldwide (International Organization of Migration, 2019), immigrant integration has become an increasingly salient issue in policymaking and public debates.1 At present, Western countries largely favor an integration approach that regards the incorporation of immigrants as a process of mutual accommodation between immigrants and the host society (de Haas et al, 2020)
Skilled migrants are desirable immigrants as they can fill skill shortages and contribute to economic growth and innovation. The integration of these migrants is necessary for social cohesion and beneficial for local economies (Friesen, 2011), state institutions are rarely involved in the long-term integration of highly skilled migrants
The results presented in this article are based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with four Norwegian human resource managers, three foreign-born line managers, four advisors for the European Employment Services, and four representatives for relocation agencies regarding their integration initiatives for highly skilled migrants
Summary
As the number of international migrants increases worldwide (International Organization of Migration, 2019), immigrant integration has become an increasingly salient issue in policymaking and public debates. At present, Western countries largely favor an integration approach that regards the incorporation of immigrants as a process of mutual accommodation between immigrants and the host society (de Haas et al, 2020). Western countries largely favor an integration approach that regards the incorporation of immigrants as a process of mutual accommodation between immigrants and the host society (de Haas et al, 2020) The bulk of these studies have focused on low-skilled migrants, whose integration needs are of the most pressing concern. The integration of these migrants is necessary for social cohesion and beneficial for local economies (Friesen, 2011), state institutions are rarely involved in the long-term integration of highly skilled migrants. This responsibility often falls on private sector and voluntary actors. The resulting multi-level framework aims to show that immigrant integration is a multi-actor, multi-directional process
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