Post-migration labor market: prejudice and the role of host country education
| Pages | 42-55 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-03-2018-0019 |
| Date | 01 April 2019 |
| Published date | 01 April 2019 |
| Author | Olga Stangej,Inga Minelgaite,Kari Kristinsson,Margret Sigrun Sigurdardottir |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
Post-migration labor market:
prejudice and the role of host
country education
Olga Stangej
Department of Management, ISM Vadybos ir Ekonomikos Universitetas, Vilnius,
Lithuania, and
Inga Minelgaite, Kari Kristinsson and Margret Sigrun Sigurdardottir
School of Business, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine how prejudice in a post-migration labor market can be
mitigated, specifically, whether education received in the host country can serve as a signal of social
integration for immigrant workers in employment settings.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors conducted an audit discrimination study, using an
experimental setup to examine the interplay between prejudice and education as a signal of the social
integration of immigrants in employment settings.
Findings –The results of the study indicate that signals of social integration, such as, qualifications
acquired in the host country through education, counter prejudice against Polish immigrants in Iceland.
Research limitations/implications –The study provides evidence that immigrants are subjected to
prejudice that can restrain their employment opportunities. The acquisition of education in the host country
can mitigate this effect, but also diminishes the line between social integration and assimilation. However, the
study is limited by a relatively small sample size and a single-country context.
Practical implications –The study offers insights for both countries and organizations worldwide that are
facingthe need to successfullyembracea mobile workforceand the challengeof a diverse workforcecomposition.
Originality/value –The study addresses the under-researched effects of education on human capital
transferability in the host labor market. More specifically, it uncovers that the differentiation between
education acquired in the home country and education acquired in the host country is a signal that can
mitigate prejudice and its effects on the employment of immigrants in the host countries.
Keywords Education, Acculturation, Integration, Iceland, Immigrants, Labor market, Prejudice
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Since the middle of the twentieth century, mass migration has become a worldwide
phenomenon,thereby increasingthe national, cultural,ethnic, religious andlinguistic diversity
in numerous countries and regions (Donitsa-Schmidt, 2017). Currently, there is an estimated
258m people living in a country other than their country of birth –an increase of 49 percent
since the year2000 (United Nations, 2017).These geographical shiftsof population have risen
sharply recently, affectingboth the supply and demand of labor(Newman and Winston, 2016).
The projectionspoint at a growing influxof immigrantsin the upcoming years, and regardless
of the type of migration –voluntary (e.g. labor migration) or non-voluntary (e.g. refugees) the
outcome is inevitably increasing diversity within society (Donitsa-Schmidt, 2017). While
migration can be driven by different motives, including involuntary movement asa result of
war and natural disasters, most often migration is voluntary (Ruback et al., 2004),
characterized by the search foreconomic improvement. Asa result, immigration significantly
contributes to the workforce in many countries, primarily in developed countries where
migrants are increasingly concentrated (Tharmaseelan et al., 2010). If migration is managed
successfully, it can yield favorable outcomes for both the host countries and the migrants
themselves (Gurría, 2017). A mobile workforcewith a more diverse composition,for example,
enables organizations and nations to take advantage of the variety of talents for their
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 7 No. 1, 2019
pp. 42-55
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2049-3983
DOI 10.1108/EBHRM-03-2018-0019
Received 16 March 2018
Revised 3 July 2018
Accepted 3 August 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2049-3983.htm
42
EBHRM
7,1
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