Integration of Highly Skilled Migrants in the Workplace: a Multi-level Framework

Abstract

This article combines literatures on immigrant integration and migration intermediaries to add a skilled perspective to theories of immigrant integration. Using a case study of foreign-born engineers in the Norwegian oil and gas industry, we develop a multi-level conceptual framework of actors that are involved in the integration of foreign-born engineers. We identified integration actors through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with human resource managers, foreign-born workers, and other integration actors. The framework is intended as a tool to move beyond single-level, unidirectional studies of immigrant integration and to provide a more in-depth understanding of the integration of highly skilled migrants in the workplace. We find that state actors fail to assist with the long-term integration for highly skilled migrants. Instead, private and voluntary actors provide information about work regulations and working life. In addition, employers and coworkers play an important role in the integration of highly skilled migrants in the workplace. We also find that highly skilled migrants can be agents of integration as they “scale up” initiatives to higher levels of decision-making.