The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Portrait Anders Kjellberg november 2022. Photo: Emma Lord.

Anders Kjellberg

Professor Emeritus

Portrait Anders Kjellberg november 2022. Photo: Emma Lord.

Labor Migration from Third Countries to Swedish Low-wage jobs

Author

  • Olle Frödin
  • Anders Kjellberg

Summary, in English

Since December 2008, Sweden has more liberal rules for labor immigration from ‘third countries’ – countries outside the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) – than any other country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The introduction of employer-driven labor immigration, motivated by the need to address labor shortages, resulted in large inflows of migrants in low-skilled occupations in labor surplus sectors. This article examines the situation of the approximately 500 restaurant and cleaning workers who were granted work permits in Stockholm in 2012. More than four out of ten labor migrants ‘switched track’ from asylum seekers, students, or family connection. Every second worker was recruited to companies without collective agreements. In several cases, a nationality/ethnic link between migrant and employer appears to exist. The reasons why so many low-skilled labor migrants in nonseasonal occupations were recruited are discussed. Finally, alternative explanations for the decline of this type of labor migration after 2011 are considered.

Department/s

  • Sociology

Publishing year

2018-03-21

Language

English

Pages

65-85

Publication/Series

Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies

Volume

8

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies

Topic

  • Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)

Keywords

  • labor migration
  • third country
  • low-wage
  • work permit
  • trade union
  • employer
  • asylum seeker
  • track change
  • vulnerability
  • exploitation
  • EU
  • OECD
  • collective agreement
  • restaurant sector
  • cleaning
  • cock
  • food preparation assistant
  • Sociology
  • sociologi
  • Delmi
  • Migration Agency
  • Migrationsverket
  • labor migration
  • labour migration
  • third-country
  • OECD
  • EU
  • low-wage
  • low-skilled
  • work permit
  • resturant sector
  • cleaning
  • cock
  • food preparation assistant
  • vulnerability
  • exploitation
  • precarious
  • precarity
  • trade union
  • employer
  • collective agreement
  • sociology
  • sociologi
  • industrial relations
  • track change
  • spårbyte
  • arbetskraftsinvandring
  • arbetskraftsmigration
  • arbetskraftsmigrant
  • arbetstillstånd
  • kollektivavtal

Status

Published

Project

  • Forskningsprojekt om arbetskraftsinvandring från tredje land: sammanfattning av resultaten

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2245-0157