Perceived discrimination as legacy: Korean immigrants’ job attitudes and career prospects at Korean multinational enterprises in the USA

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine how Korean immigrants employed at co-ethnic multinational enterprises (MNEs) perceive their work experiences based on their past employment in the USA. Using 63 in-depth interviews conducted from June 2012 to December 2014, we found that Korean immigrants have different job attitudes and career prospects depending on their experiences of workplace discrimination in the USA. The findings suggest that immigrants who previously worked in the mainstream economy have developed a higher level of racial/ethnic awareness through racialized experience than their counterparts who only worked for co-ethnic employers. Such disparities in awareness shape the workers’ job attitudes and their career prospects. We conclude that the knowledge on the host society’s racial/ethnic stratification, once established, comes into effect continuously in immigrants’ lives and strongly influences the immigrants’ attitudes toward their socioeconomic incorporation.