Abstract
Migration-induced diversity has led to the global emergence of multilingual life worlds in which language regimes are particularly intertwined with labour markets. Thus, state institutions such as national unemployment services must fulfil a special role in society. In a qualitative research project (2019–2021), we interviewed employees at the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) at multiple organisational levels. The results demonstrate diverging and (apparently) contradicting approaches and strategies throughout the organisation concerning the appropriateness of using German exclusively during interactions with clients. This is illustrated along a continuum, ranging from a reflective, critical approach towards linguistic diversity that is at least partly based on ideas promoting the value of multilingualism to frequently encountered notions of the need for monolingualism. Such a framework must be understood by considering the coexistence of diverging ideas and ideologies surrounding multilingualism, as well as a neoliberal working context characterised by new public management and activation policy.
Highlights
Because participation in society is contingent upon labour market access, public employment services are central institutions regarding social equity, in the context of migration-related diversity
The analysis in this article is based on findings from the ongoing qualitative research project AMIGS— Employment Services in the Context of MigrationInduced Linguistic Diversity
Vienna (Austria) was chosen because of how the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) is structured federally, as well as the city’s significantly higher share of migrants and migration-related linguistic diversity compared to the rest of the country (Statistik Austria, 2020)
Summary
Because participation in society is contingent upon labour market access, public employment services are central institutions regarding social equity, in the context of migration-related diversity. Street-level bureaucracies, which occupy a frontline position in the mediation between government policy and the public (Lipsky, 1980), face unique communication challenges related to migration-induced linguistic diversity. As they function as both sites of migrant group categorisation and the administration of access to resources and services, a focus on public institutions provides insights into how social inequalities are (re)produced. Research has shown that preconceived notions held by street-level bureaucrats about migrants can affect the services they receive (Schütze, 2019)
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