Open AccessSkilled Migrant Women’s Experiences of the Job Search Process
Author(s) -
Heidi Lehtovaara,
Marjut Jyrkinen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nordic journal of working life studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.322
H-Index - 15
ISSN - 2245-0157
DOI - 10.18291/njwls.128588
Subject(s) - workforce , migrant workers , inclusion (mineral) , face (sociological concept) , pandemic , demographic economics , qualitative research , language barrier , covid-19 , sociology , political science , gender studies , psychology , economic growth , economics , medicine , social science , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
In this article, we address how skilled migrant women experience job search processes in Finland, and the expectations and emotions that arise from these workforce encounters, which we explore through unique qualitative data. Although Finland relies strongly on principles of equality and inclusion, highly educated migrant women face major difficulties in job application processes. The employment level of migrant women in Finland is low compared to other Nordic countries, and even though migrant women are more educated than migrant men and their Finnish language skills are better, they encounter many hurdles in employment. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation is getting more difficult for many women with non-Finnish background.There are multiple hurdles in highly educated women workers’ employment, which relate to structural and cultural aspects and which end up in discrimination in recruitment processes.