Perspectives on Migrant Care Workers in the Long-Term Care Sector: Identity Politics and Othering

Abstract

Nursing homes for older seniors are considered an integral part of the Nordic welfare regimes, with a comparatively large proportion of employed native-born women. This is partly under change. An ageing population in interplay with increased difficulties recruiting native-born care workers have raised questions of how to approach present and future workforce challenges. A proposed response to this challenge is the recruitment of migrant care workers, both from within one’s borders and from outside. This strategy is already changing the composition of the workforce in long-term care in all Nordic countries and is expected to continue to do so. In this article, we will analyse perceptions of migrant care workers through the concept of ‘othering’, by combining perspectives from management and migrant care workers. Through a process of othering from management, two archetypes of collective identities are constructed: The migrant care worker and The Nordic care worker. These archetypes are both adopted and challenged by migrant care workers. We argue that these constructions entail both possibilities and limitations for migrant care workers, while representing the dilemmas management must take into consideration when seeking to include a more diverse workforce.