A substantial body of research documents inequalities in career development between immigrants and the native-born majority population. We know far less, however, about the complex mechanisms that promote or hinder integration in working life, and how these interact. On commission from the Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion (AID), the Institute for Social Research will help fill this knowledge gap.
The project has a threefold aim: to examine immigrants' pathways into and upward within working life; to map what employers and trade unions do to include immigrants in the workplace; and to understand how immigrants themselves experience working life as an arena for integration.
We apply a mixed-methods design across three sub-studies. The first uses register data linking employees to workplaces to study trajectories into and upward within working life, with particular emphasis on the role of the first job. The second combines a new, register-linked employer survey with qualitative interviews with employers and union representatives. The third studies integration "from below", through in-depth interviews with employees of immigrant background. Together, the sub-studies offer a comprehensive picture of what it takes for working life to function as an arena for integration.
