ISSUES OF MIGRANTS EMPLOYMENT

1
ISSUES OF MIGRANTS EMPLOYMENT

• Findings and Conclusions for the Wellington
  Region
• Dr. Astrid Podsiadlowski
• School of Psychology
• Victoria University of Wellington

2
Migrants Employment Goals

• Migrants shall obtain employment appropriate
  to their qualifications and skills and are
  encouraged to participate fully in New Zealands
  multicultural society while maintaining their own
  heritage.New Zealand Immigration Settlement
  Strategy, 2003

3
Issues of Social Inequality


1 Department of Labour (2003) 2 English
speaking, aged 25 to 44
4
Issues of Social Inequality

1 For English speaking males and females, aged
25 to 44 2 Department of Labour (2003)

• People from countries from either an English
  speaking background and/or perceived similar
  culture to New Zealand have the best labour
  market outcomes.
• Within the Asian regions countries with English
  as an official language and similarities to the
  British system show better labour market outcomes
  and trends in occupational distributions, e.g.
  Singapore, Hong Kong and India.

5
Research Needs

• Specific issues of migrants in the New Zealand
  context What are overarching themes for
  migrants in Wellington and what are culture
  specific difficulties they face within the New
  Zealand context?
• Research within organisationsWhat are specific
  difficulties at the workplace from migrants as
  well as employers perspectives?How can
  co-operation among the various ethnic groups and
  integration of migrants at the workplace be
  improved?
• Development, implementation and evaluation of
  diversity measuresWhich tools work best to
  raise the awareness for cultural diversity and
  improve intercultural understanding?

6
Assessing needs and difficulties
Assessing difficulties and developing options
Diversity policies and demographics
Organizational policies and demographics


 
SAMPLE
Organization
Labour Market
Organization
Individual
Statistics, research reports, official statements
Employers of different regions and industries
Representatives of migrant and employers groups,
recruiting agencies and HR managers
Employers and migrants of different regions and
cultural background
CONTENT

• Vertical and horizontal distribution of employed
  migrants with regard to
• Number
• Position/Salary
• Profession
• Education
• Cultural backgrounds (nationality, ethnicity,
  religion)
• About organizational policies
• recruitment practices
• HR tools

• Demographics about ethnic groups with regard to
• Sizes
• Employment rates
• Professions
• Qualifications
• Language skills
• Cultural backgrounds (nationality, ethnicity,
  religion)
• About state policies
• diversity programmes
• evaluations

• Organizational perspective
• - Organizational goals/ vision
• Recruitment, personnel selection, HR
  development
• Cultural diversity approach
• Organizational needs
• Obstacles for migrants
• Migrants perspective
• Experiences
• Needs
• Visions

• Perspectives
• - Attitudes towards each other
• - Experiences with each other
• - Expectations of each other
• Perceptions of each other
• Visions to improve
• qualifications
• work experience
• intercultural co-operation
• diversity measures

 
 
 
GOALS
? To identify critical fields of social
inequality and discrimination? To have specific
figures to increase awareness and knowledge? To
identify most critical ethnic groups ? To
identify most critical areas within
organizations? To select organizations that vary
in their diversity approaches
? To identify key barriers for migrants ? To
find reasons behind negative employers
attitudes? To identify employers and migrants
needs ? To identify possible incentives for
employers ? To develop fair recruitment
practices and HR tools
Literature Review
Interviews
Focus Groups
Survey
Time
7
Overview of Findings

• Demographics in the Wellington Region
• Employers Experiences with Employing Migrants
• Human Resource Management Practices
• A Model of Migrants Employment in New Zealand
• Recommendations for Change Management

8
Cultural Diversity of the Local Workforce
The workforce in the Wellington region is
culturally diverse

• Each fourth employee is not of New Zealand
  European descent.
• The local workforce represents 68 identifiable
  ethnic groups.
• The 395 migrants in the participating
  organisations are of 54 nationalities.

9
Employers Experiences

• Employers were highly satisfied with
• Migrants work performance M 4.37 (from 1
  not very satisfied to 5 very satisfied)
• Cooperation between migrants and local staff M
  4.53 (from 1 not very satisfied to 5 very
  satisfied)
• Migrants strengths
• Work ethics motivation, hard working
• Skills highly qualified, different skills

They are prepared to work very very hard, if you
give them an opportunity, they really think its
a privilege, and will find that its precious,
and I think you will get an awful lot back from
them, you give someone a leg up, and opportunity
in his world they will repay you.
10
Human Resource Management Practices
11
Diversity Management Types

• 50 Organisations do not address the issue of
  cultural diversity and have no measures
  implemented
• 16 of organisations provide single measures
• 12 of organisations have diversity strategies by
  offering several measures and addressing
  diversity goals
• 22 of organisations show a strong future
  interest in the development of diversity
  management measures.

12
Barriers to EmploymentSurvey
What are the main reasons for your organisation
not to employ migrants?

• English language difficulties 24
• Lack of experience 13
• Lack of New Zealand knowledge 11
• Immigration difficulties 9.5
• Employers attitudes 9.5
• Communication difficulties 8
• Recognition of Qualifications 8
• Job availability 4.8
• Accent 3.2
• Migrants attitudes 3.2
• Other reasons 5.8

13
CULTURAL DIVERSITY ISSUES
PERCEPTION OF NEW ZEALAND ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT

• Migrant Issues
• Settlement
• Language
• Knowledge Experience of
• New Zealand culture
• Qualifications
• Preconceived ideas about migrants
• Preconceived ideas about specific
• cultural groups
• Cultural specific differences

• NZ Work Environment
• Perception of NZ Society
• Needs of NZ organisations
• Employers Beliefs
• NZ workplace culture

• Organisational Practices
• Recruitment Selection
• Management Practices
• The Ideal Employee
• Diversity Management

• Advantages of a
• cultural diverse workforce
• Migrants strengths
• Cultural specifics
• Diversity

14
New Zealand Work Environment

• Perception of New Zealand Society
• - Specific location
• - Attractiveness
• - Changes
• Organisational NeedsWe have to recruit
  offshore.We need a flexible workforce.
• - Skills shortages
• - Competition within and outside New Zealand

15
New Zealand Work Environment

• Employers Beliefs
• If they look differently, talk differently,
  youve got some question marks there about how
  theyll get on with other employees, how their
  presentation skills will be.
• New Zealand companies are quite wary finding
  someone on the other side of the world the might
  not have met face-to-face.
• There is a lack of openness to taking people
  like that.
• If youve got somebody with a degree that the
  employers never heard of um heres always in
  the employers mind as to but is it what I know
  is a Masters?
• Its only artisans like plumbers, fitters, those
  I think, theres less prejudice because they can
  naturally show immediately if they can do it or
  they cant.

16
Organisational Practices

• Job Development Recruitment, Selection, Training
  
• - Generalists We dont have the scale in New
  Zealand to give everybody a tight job
  definition.
• - Training-on-the-job
• - Mentoring system
• - Networks, personal contact
• New Zealand Workplace Culture
• - Process-oriented
• - Relationship-oriented
• - Low status orientation

17
The Ideal Employee

• Hard workingWork very hard, prepared to got the
  extra yard, doing the extra mile
• Highly motivatedEnergy, driven, enthusiastic,
  fast moving, inquisitive, ability to learn
• Great interpersonal skillsInterpersonal and
  team skills, can interact, have good friends at
  work, engage together, networking skills,
  friendly attributes, work in unison
• ReliableGoing to stay, loyal
• FlexibleVery mobile, very flexible, work
  outside own role
• Leadership skillsLook for leaders, leadership
  skills

18
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PERCEPTION OF NEW ZEALAND ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT
CULTURAL DIVERSITY ISSUES

• Migrant Issues
• Settlement
• Language
• Knowledge Experience of
• New Zealand culture
• Qualifications
• Preconceived ideas about migrants
• Preconceived ideas about specific
• cultural groups
• Cultural specific differences

• NZ Work Environment
• Perception of NZ Society
• Needs of NZ organisations
• Employers Beliefs
• NZ workplace culture

Personal Information Beliefs

• Organisational Practices
• Recruitment Selection
• Management Practices
• The Ideal Employee
• Diversity Management

Organisational Information

• Advantages of a
• cultural diverse workforce
• Migrants strengths
• Cultural specifics
• Diversity

Recommendations
19
Recommendations

• Immigration Procedures
• Linking job availability with points system
• Approval process
• Support Services
• Institutions (government, universities,
  immigration services)
• Assistance to employers
• Courses
• Providing information
• Management Practices
• Leadership behaviour
• Managing Teams
• Diversity Management

20
Recommendations

• Recommendations for Employers
• Positive attitude towards diversity
• Communication skills
• Understanding cultural differences
• Management behaviour and styles
• Flexibility
• Human Resource Management
• Recommendation for Migrants
• Attitudes and approaches to work
• Communication skills
• Networking within and outside community
• Assimilation and adaptation

• Information and Communication Contact and
  Dialogue!

21
Change Management

• Cultural-fit, cultural differences !
• English language skills
• Interview and communication skills
• Lack of New Zealand work experience
• Recognition of qualifications
• Job availability/links to points system
• Accent
• Employers attitudes !
• Negative anecdotes
• Migrants attitudes
• Consultants
• Lack of social networks

Immigration Procedures Support Services Diversity
Campaigns Knowledge and Information Intercultural
Training Diversity Workshops
?Raising awareness of diversity and intercultural
knowledge
22
Change Management