IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jadmsc/v11y2021i1p7-d482867.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perceived Employability of Highly Skilled Migrant Women in STEM: Insights from Labor Market Intermediaries’ Professionals

Author

Listed:
  • Aurora Ricci

    (Department of Education Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

  • Francesca Crivellaro

    (Department of Education Studies “Giovanni Maria Bertin”, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

  • Daniela Bolzani

    (Department of Management, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

While global economies are in a tremendous need for talented workers that could fill vacancies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, available evidence shows that highly skilled migrants with a background in these fields are not protected from brain waste and deskilling. In this paper, we add to the previous literature on the employability of highly skilled migrant women from the specific—and under-investigated—perspective of labor market intermediaries. We specifically investigate what the barriers and resources are for employability of highly skilled migrant women in STEM, as perceived by labor market intermediaries’ professionals; and what the training needs are that labor market intermediaries’ professionals perceive to effectively work with this target group. We use unique explorative survey data collected in 2018 in five countries (Greece, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom) from professionals working in diverse labor market intermediary organizations. We find that these professionals perceive the employability of migrant women in STEM as rather low, and strongly determined by migrant women’s psychological capital. Professionals in Southern Europe perceive structural barriers as more important than those in other countries. Professionals display training needs related to ad-hoc mentoring and networking competences for this specific target group. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Aurora Ricci & Francesca Crivellaro & Daniela Bolzani, 2021. "Perceived Employability of Highly Skilled Migrant Women in STEM: Insights from Labor Market Intermediaries’ Professionals," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:11:y:2021:i:1:p:7-:d:482867
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/11/1/7/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/11/1/7/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Isabel Fernandez-Mateo & Zella King, 2011. "Anticipatory Sorting and Gender Segregation in Temporary Employment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(6), pages 989-1008, June.
    2. Francesco Lissoni, 2018. "International migration and innovation diffusion: an eclectic survey," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(5), pages 702-714, May.
    3. Manuel F. Bagues & Mauro Sylos Labini, 2009. "Do Online Labor Market Intermediaries Matter? The Impact of "AlmaLaurea" on the University-to-Work Transition," NBER Chapters, in: Studies of Labor Market Intermediation, pages 127-154, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Emmanuelle Marchal & Kevin Mellet & Géraldine Rieucau, 2007. "Job board toolkits: Internet matchmaking and changes in job advertisements," Post-Print halshs-00825168, HAL.
    5. Anne Green & Maria de Hoyos & Sally-Anne Barnes & David Owen & Beate Baldauf & Heike Behle, 2013. "Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Part 1: The Concept of employability, with a specific focus on Young people, older workers and migrants," JRC Research Reports JRC75518, Joint Research Centre.
    6. Caglar Ozden & Christopher R. Parsons & Maurice Schiff & Terrie L. Walmsley, 2011. "Where on Earth is Everybody? The Evolution of Global Bilateral Migration 1960-2000," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 25(1), pages 12-56, May.
    7. Dovelyn Agunias, 2009. "Guiding the Invisible Hand: Making Migration Intermediaries Work for Development," Human Development Research Papers (2009 to present) HDRP-2009-22, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), revised Apr 2009.
    8. Richard B. Freeman, 2002. "The Labour Market in the New Information Economy," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 18(3), pages 288-305.
    9. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Miguel Malo & Fernando Muñoz-Bullón, 2008. "The Role of Temporary Help Agency Employment on Temp-to-Perm Transitions," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 138-161, June.
    10. Zschirnt, Eva & Ruedin, Didier, 2016. "Ethnic discrimination in hiring decisions: A meta-analysis of correspondence tests 1990–2015," EconStor Preprints 142176, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    11. Friedberg, Rachel M, 2000. "You Can't Take It with You? Immigrant Assimilation and the Portability of Human Capital," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(2), pages 221-251, April.
    12. Chiswick, Barry R. & Miller, Paul W., 2009. "The international transferability of immigrants' human capital," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 162-169, April.
    13. Francesco Lissoni, 2018. "International migration and innovation diffusion: an eclectic survey," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(5), pages 702-714, May.
    14. Betsey Stevenson, 2009. "The Internet and Job Search," NBER Chapters, in: Studies of Labor Market Intermediation, pages 67-86, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Anneleen Forrier, Luc Sels, 2003. "The concept employability: a complex mosaic," International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 3(2), pages 102-124.
    16. Hanna Li Kusterer & Claudia Bernhard-Oettel, 2020. "Exploring Employability Constructions of Migrants in Sweden and Potential Consequences for Labour Market Entrance Recommendations," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-20, March.
    17. Francesco LISSONI, 2016. "Migration and Innovation Diffusion : An Eclectic Survey," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2016-11, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    18. Jenny K. Rodriguez & Tracy Scurry, 2019. "Female and foreign: An intersectional exploration of the experiences of skilled migrant women in Qatar," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 480-500, May.
    19. Julia Beckhusen & Raymond J.G.M. Florax & Jacques Poot & Brigitte S. Waldorf, 2013. "Attracting Global Talent And Then What? Overeducated Immigrants In The United States," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 834-854, December.
    20. Rita Chiesa & Luca Fazi & Dina Guglielmi & Marco Giovanni Mariani, 2018. "Enhancing Substainability: Psychological Capital, Perceived Employability, and Job Insecurity in Different Work Contract Conditions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-10, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Muscio, Alessandro & Vallanti, Giovanna, 2024. "The gender gap in PhD entrepreneurship: Why balancing employment in academia really matters," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(1).
    2. Gemma Newlands, 2024. "‘This isn’t forever for me’: Perceived employability and migrant gig work in Norway and Sweden," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(4), pages 1262-1279, June.
    3. Katarzyna Wlodarczyk, 2021. "Migration and Sustainable Development: The Use of Ukrainian Workers’ Potential on the Polish Labour Market," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 3), pages 28-49.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniela Bolzani & Francesca Crivellaro & Rosa Grimaldi, 2021. "Highly skilled, yet invisible. The potential of migrant women with a STEMM background in Italy between intersectional barriers and resources," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 2132-2157, November.
    2. Bahar, Dany & Choudhury, Prithwiraj & Rapoport, Hillel, 2020. "Migrant inventors and the technological advantage of nations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(9).
    3. Sylvain Dejean, 2020. "The role of distance and social networks in the geography of crowdfunding: evidence from France," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(3), pages 329-339, March.
    4. Lara Agostini & Federico Caviggioli & Francesco Galati & Barbara Bigliardi, 2020. "A social perspective of knowledge-based innovation: mobility and agglomeration. Introduction to the special section," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(5), pages 1309-1323, October.
    5. Diemer, Andreas & Regan, Tanner, 2022. "No inventor is an island: Social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    6. Davide Luca & Paola Proietti, 2022. "Hosting to skim: organized crime and the reception of asylum seekers in Italy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(12), pages 2102-2116, December.
    7. Xiangbo Liu & Theodore Palivos & Xiaomeng Zhang, 2017. "Immigration, Skill Heterogeneity, And Qualification Mismatch," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1231-1264, July.
    8. Valentina Di Iasio & Ernest Miguelez, 2022. "The ties that bind and transform: knowledge remittances, relatedness and the direction of technical change [Brain drain or brain bank? The impact of skilled emigration on poor-country innovation]," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 423-448.
    9. Ernest Miguelez & Andrea Morrison, 2023. "Migrant inventors as agents of technological change," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 669-692, April.
    10. Fubiao Zhu & Delin Zhuang & Shengwu Jin & Lingling Gao & Rui Chen, 2022. "Effects of air pollution on regional innovation and the mediator role of health: Evidence from China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 628-650, June.
    11. Caviggioli, Federico & Jensen, Paul & Scellato, Giuseppe, 2020. "Highly skilled migrants and technological diversification in the US and Europe," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    12. Katharina Candel-Haug & Alexander Cuntz & Oliver Falck, 2018. "Immigrants' Contribution to Innovativeness: Evidence from a Non-Selective Immigration Country," CESifo Working Paper Series 7409, CESifo.
    13. Ferrucci, Edoardo & Lissoni, Francesco, 2019. "Foreign inventors in Europe and the United States: Diversity and Patent Quality," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    14. Ana Dammert & Jose Galdo & Virgilio Galdo, 2015. "Integrating mobile phone technologies into labor-market intermediation: a multi-treatment experimental design," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-27, December.
    15. Cristelli, Gabriele & Lissoni, Francesco, 2020. "Free movement of inventors: open-border policy and innovation in Switzerland," MPRA Paper 107433, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Uhlbach, Wolf-Hendrik & Tartari, Valentina & Kongsted, Hans Christian, 2022. "Beyond scientific excellence: International mobility and the entrepreneurial activities of academic scientists," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    17. Cristelli, Gabriele & Lissoni, Francesco, 2020. "Free movement of inventors: open-border policy and innovation in Switzerland," MPRA Paper 104120, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Brixy, Udo & Brunow, Stephan & D'Ambrosio, Anna, 2020. "The unlikely encounter: Is ethnic diversity in start-ups associated with innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(4).
    19. Filippo Simini & Gianni Barlacchi & Massimilano Luca & Luca Pappalardo, 2021. "A Deep Gravity model for mobility flows generation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    20. Roberta Capello & Camilla Lenzi, 2019. "The nexus between inventors’ mobility and regional growth across European regions," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 457-486, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:11:y:2021:i:1:p:7-:d:482867. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.