Work and integration' A research on Rumanian immigrants in Italy

1
Work and integration. A research on Rumanian
immigrants in Italy

• P. Benevene, R. Rondini, O. Forti,
• F. Pantanella, C. Iacolino
• Università LUMSA, Rome, Italy

2
General aim of the research

• To verify whether the immigrants, in particular a
  group of Rumanian immigrants, consider work as a
  prior form, more than other forms, of their
  integration, or not.

3
Hypothesis
1. The interviewed Rumanian immigrants consider
work as a key factor to assess their own
integration and migratory project 2. Their
working situation is not assessed referring only
to salary. 3. The importance assigned to ones
own integration is related to the duration of
migratory project.
4
Methodology

• The design of the research is of explorative kind
  and has a qualitative approach.
• Semi-structured interviews individually
  administrated to 32 Rumanian immigrants, living
  in Italy.

5
The group analized

• Gender 17 women and17 men
• Age range from 21 to 56 (Mean 38,5)
• Education 94.1 (N32) has a high school
  certification one participant (N1 2.9) has a
  university degree.
• Live in Italy 1 to 17 years (mean 7.3).
• All of them carry out unskilled jobs.

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Main results Importance assigned to work to
evaluate his/her own integration

• 97.1 (N33) considers work an important element
  for his/her integration
• 88.2 (N30) considers important for the
  integration to have a working stability
• 88.2 (N30) considers his/her own integration as
  "important

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How satisfied are you about your integration?

• 61.7 (N21) is very satisfied or very much
  satisfied
• 23 (N8) is fairly satisfied
• 14.7 (N5) is little satisfied
• The reasons given to explain their satisfaction
  working stability (N30 88.2)
• suitable housing conditions (N10 29.5),
  closeness to their relatives (N6 17.6).

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Main results Importance assigned to work to
evaluate his/her own integration

• " I think job is very important, without a job it
  is very difficult to feel integrated in a foreign
  country people look at you in a better way when
  you say you have got a job, and then I think
  without it you cannot live in a decent and honest
  way".

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Main resultsAssessment of working condition

• 26.5 (N 4) very good
• 50.0 (N17) good
• 17.7 (N6) acceptable
• 5.8 not good.
• Relationships with colleagues and employers are
  defined as good by 64.7 (N22).
• Only one interviewee (2.9 N1) defines them as
  negative.

10
Main resultsAssessment of fair remuneration

• 85.4 (N29) is very or fairly satisfied with
  the salary received
• 50.0 (N17) considers his/her remuneration fair
• 32.4 (N 11) considers it "low" or rather low
  but "acceptable 8.8 (N3) is unemployed.

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Main resultsAssessment of fair remuneration

• "Compared to the work I do I probably earn more
  than others, I do not complain
• "I think my work should be paid more, but
  considering that the activity of the company is
  worsening I do not ask for more"
• "I do not care very much about moneyI earn as
  much as my employer can give me".

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Main resultsWork as an important element of the
migratory project

• 23.5 (N8) quotes work to explain how long they
  are going to stay in Italy
• 23.5 (N8) quotes family reasons
• 23.5 (N8) quotes the wish of going back and
  live in Romany.

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Final remarks

• The results of this explorative investigation
  have to be confirmed (bigger and more
  representative samples, comparing groups of
  different countries)
• The quantitative methodology seems to be less
  proper than the qualitative one
• Anyway, it seems that work is an important
  element for the integration, more than other
  aspects, such as having the right to vote the
  citizenships rights positive relation with
  Italians and Italian public institutions.