Migrant women in the Swedish labour market: What can we learn from the experiences of Ukrainians and Syrians?

Research problem and specific questionsImmigrant women experience multiple disadvantages in the labor markets of receiving countries.

Due to the recent migration of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion in 2022, the employment situation of Ukrainian women has not been empirically studied. For the same reason, there are no comparative studies between Syrian and Ukrainian women in this field of study.

The comparison of these two groups and the regulations applied to each of them will contribute to the understanding of factors facilitating and hindering the labor market integration of refugee women in Sweden.

Our leading questions are as follows: what are the main differences in the employment goals, experiences and outcomes between Syrian and Ukrainian women? And what are the main factors associated with these differences?

In particular, how do different regulations applied to refugees and their family members, in the case of Syrians, and Temporary Protection, in the case of Ukrainians, contribute to these differences?Data and methodAdvanced statistical analyses will be run on register data and a thematic narrative inquiry will be used to analyze in-depth qualitative interviews conducted among Syrian and Ukrainian women and key integration actors at the national and local levels.

A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods will provide objective and subjective accounts of the employment experiences and outcomes of these two groups.Societal relevance and utilizationThe substantial international migration to Sweden over the last four to five decades has raised some concern about its socio-economic impact, including the labor market integration of newcomers.

The employment situation of migrant women born outside the EU is perceived as being particularly problematic.

From the perspective of migrant women, access to suitable employment facilitates overall inclusion, and accrued self-confidence and personal well-being.

Identifying barriers that hinder migrant women´s access to employment in Sweden will inform integration and employment policies targeting them.Plan for project realizationA team of five researchers will work on this project.

The project leader will be responsible for the quantitative study while the two co-applicants, with help from two assistants, will conduct the qualitative study.

Salaries as well as cost associated to purchasing register data, collecting interview material and conference attendance are included in the budget.