SKILLREF - Studying and addressing the challenges of integration of high-skill refugees in the Norwegian labour market

With the rising number of refugees, the focus on their integration into host countries has increased. According to the literature, labor marked integration of refugees seems challenging across all host countries, including Norway. One of the main obstacles highly qualified refugees (refugees professionals) face is the undervaluation of their work experiences and educational credentials from their home countries, causing them to remain unemployed or overqualified for their jobs. Two major gaps in the scientific literature include a limited focus on: a) refugee professionals as a distinct group; and b) the role that the private sector plays in labor integration of refugees. This PhD project addresses these gaps and will explore the challenges and bottlenecks faced by refugee professionals when trying to integrate into the Norwegian labor market. This is a qualitative study (institutional ethnography) that will employ purposive and snowball sampling in the recruitment of research participants. The data collection will comprise individual semi-structured and focus group interviews and collection of policy documents, which will be analyzed using coding and thematic analysis. This PhD project is of high relevance to Norway’s Multicultural Center (NOMKUS) as a private company (social entrepreneurship) offering integration-related services across Norway. The knowledge generated by the study will be used to improve NOMKUS' training services and more importantly, to develop new evidence-based solutions. It is important for NOMKUS to contribute to the ongoing efforts at integrating refugees, aiming to make their qualifications visible and hence the labor integration in Norway more effective and efficient. It is a three-year PhD project (100%) with a strong cooperation framework between NOMKUS and University of Agder (UiA) that will ensure timely completion of the project. The project intends to address two important societal problems: a) the increasing need for skilled workers in some sectors of the Norwegian labor market; and b) the prolonged unemployment among refugees, especially those with higher education and professional experience. Examining the professional (re)integration hurdles from the points of view of refugees who have qualifications and businesses that need those qualifications is an effective approach to inspiring improvements in integration programs/policies. It is important to mention that the candidate will receive supervision by both UiA and NOMKUS. UiA and NOMKUS will provide the candidate with the required office facility, ensuring a conducive environment for successful implementation of the research project.

With the rising number of refugees, the focus on their integration in host countries has increased. According to the literature, labour integration of refugees seems challenging across all host countries, including Norway. One of the main obstacles refugees face is the undervaluation of their work experiences and educational credentials from their home countries, causing them to remain unemployed or overqualified for their jobs. Two major gaps in the scientific literature include a limited focus on: a) high-skill refugees; and b) the role that private sector plays in labour integration of refugees. This PhD project addresses these gaps and will explore the challenges and bottlenecks faced by high-skill refugees when trying to integrate into the Norwegian labour market. This is a qualitative study that will employ purposive and snowball sampling in the recruitment of research participants. The data collection will comprise individual semi-structured and focus group interviews and collection of policy documents, which will be analysed using coding and thematic analysis. This PhD project is of high relevance to NOMKUS as a private company offering integration-related services across Norway. The knowledge generated by the study will be used to improve NOMKUS' training services and more importantly, to develop new evidence-based solutions. It is important for NOMKUS to contribute to the ongoing efforts at integrating refugees, aiming to make their labour integration in Norway more effective and efficient. It is a three-year PhD project (100%) with a strong cooperation framework between NOMKUS and University of Agder (UiA) that will ensure timely completion of the project. The candidate will receive supervision by both UiA and NOMKUS. UiA and NOMKUS will provide the candidate with the required office facility, ensuring a conducive environment for successful implementation of the research project.