Diversity climate: discrimination against skilled migrants in recruitment

Abstract

Management literature suggests that diverse experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds are crucial to innovation in modern organisations. However, in practice, distinctive backgrounds and experiences may be subject to discrimination, which can act as barriers to securing employment. This study involved 62 in-depth interviews, 50 with skilled migrants (SMs) and 12 with recruiters, exploring discrimination in recruitment practices experienced by Vietnamese SM job seekers. The findings indicate that while racial discrimination was not considered a significant barrier to employment for Vietnamese SMs, local recruiters did not consider their overseas-acquired work experience relevant. This excluded them from the recruitment pool. The study calls for more robust measures of inclusion considerations in recruitment and selection processes to be in place. Organisations need to develop a clear recruitment inclusion policy to balance the economic benefits candidates can bring to the organisation soon after joining and the long-term benefits a diverse workforce creates.