Social Capital and Labour Market Integration : A study on young immigrants’ perceptions on the labour market and their participation in Ung i sommar

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Social Capital and Labour Market Integration

A study on young immigrants’ perceptions on the labour market and their participation in Ung i sommar

International Migration and Ethnic Relations IM245L Bachelor Thesis, 15 credits

Author: Laina Nyori-Nyoike 19830217-0181 Supervisor: Nahikari Irastorza (spring 2018) Wordcount: 13.135

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Abstract

This research aims to explore and understand young immigrants’ perceptions about labour market integration and social networks in the current Swedish workforce by evaluating their internship experiences. To gain these insights, the study conducts semi-structured interviews with young immigrants registered in Malmö municipality, Sweden, who have participated in internships via Ung i sommar. This study examines the findings on young immigrants’ personal experiences. The perceptions from the interviews are analysed through integration theory and social capital theory. Results from the interviews show that young immigrants have difficulties to find summer jobs, but through Ung i sommar they get an insight to working life, get access to networks and develop Swedish language skills. This research ends with some concluding patterns and insights as well as opportunities for further research.

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Acknowledgment

I would like to give my gratitude for all of those who have contributed and supported me throughout this challenging and rewarding experience. This research would not have been made without:

The interviewees who shared their stories and showed interest in participating in this research. My supervisor Nahikari Irastorza for your mentorship and guidance during the spring. Most of all, my friends and family for your encouragements and support throughout the whole thesis process.

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1. Introduction

” I applied for work in many stores, it was a bit hard to find work, not hard, impossible. If you don't have connections or experience you don't have any chance of getting

work”, Miguel.

This quote comes from an interview with a young immigrant, when asked if he has applied for work after arriving in Sweden.

According to a survey published by the U.S. News & World Report, Sweden is ranked as one of the best countries in the world for immigrants (US News, 2018; Independent News, 2017). Sweden is known worldwide for welcoming and being positive towards immigration and immigrants. According to a European Commission survey from 2017, Swedes were one of the most positive groups of people in Europe towards immigration, meanwhile still being critical of how immigrants’ integration is handled in the country (European Commission, 2017; Haglund, 2018). However, integration of immigrants is a controversial topic, and it is highly debated in the political sphere as being problematic and inefficient especially during recent years.

The internship program, Ung i sommar, is a summer employment for young people organised by Malmö municipality. This kind of internship is offered for all young people registered in Malmö between 16-19-years of age with the purpose of increasing awareness and knowledge of the labour market during the summer. This group consists of both Swedish and young immigrants who have a permit to stay and work in Malmö.

On 7 February 2018, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, the chairman of municipal board for Social Democrats, informs the following on their blog; “a summer job or a summer internship is a first step into the labour market and to earn your own money. Now we ensure to find more positions to give young people that opportunity”. The city of Malmö, the business community and the Public Employment Service announced in February 2018 a “summer job guarantee” initiative to ensure that high school students should have the opportunity to get summer jobs or internship through Ung i sommar (Malmö stad, 2018a).

In this research you will be acquainted with 11 young immigrants who participated in Ung i sommar and how their personal perceptions are framed through the theoretical lens of integration and social capital. Curiosity about the outcome of internship and specifically in the internship offered by Malmö municipality, became the motivation for the research process. As mentioned above in the initial quote, young immigrants can face disadvantages and

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6 difficulties in the labour market. For young immigrants with limited or no experience with the Swedish labour market, this study aims to examine if the Ung i sommar program functions as an opportunity to increase integration and social networks in the host country, which can positively influence their perception of finding employment in Sweden.

There is a limited access to available information on the effects and outcomes on what occurs after young people have participated in Ung i sommar. There is also general lack of research on the perspectives and experiences of young immigrants on labour market

integration in Malmö, and no research being made on immigrants’ perspectives on the Ung i sommar program.

1.1 Aim and research questions

The purpose of this qualitative study is to present and analyse young immigrants’ perceptions of their Ung i sommar internship. The target audience are young immigrants who are between 18-19 years old, registered in Malmö and have participated in the Ung i sommar program in 2018.

The importance of doing an empirical study of this kind is to gain knowledge about if and how Ung i sommar affects young immigrants’ perspective on integration, internship and social networks in the Swedish society.

The following questions will be discussed in this study.

• How do young immigrants perceive their experiences of Ung i sommar internship? • How are young immigrants’ perceptions of Ung i sommar internship experiences

reflected in terms of labour market integration and social networks?

1.2 Delimitation

The Ung i sommar program reaches out to all young people who are between 16-19-years in Malmö, Sweden. This research will solely focus on young immigrants between the ages of 18-19-years registered in Malmö who are foreign-born and have applied to the program online through Ung i sommar website.

I have chosen to limit interview participation according to the age group of 18-19-years as they are at the end of high-school 18-19-years and facing the crossroads in life of either choosing education or work as their future plan.

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7 Due to the aim of this research, this study exclusively focuses on the participants of the Ung i sommar program. The organizational perspective will not be included.

1.3 Disposition

In the background section, information about Ung i sommar is provided, which is followed by a method section. The method section includes a description on how collection of data and usage of a qualitative method is applied.

The particular analytical instruments used in this study are social capital theory and integration theory, which describe how shared resources or networks and language skills can be of importance for accessing the labour market and enlarge feelings of a belonging.

Thereafter, results from semi-structured interviews are presented and examined. The results are connected to selected theories and materials are analysed and discussed.

Lastly, a conclusion of the overall qualitative study is presented including a discussion on further research.

2. Background

Sweden is one of the European countries that has traditionally been known for having one of the most generous migration and integration policies. However, Malmö being the third largest city in Sweden has one of the highest youth unemployment rates compared to rest of the population in Sweden.

According to the Swedish employment service, approximately 20 percent between the ages of 18-24 are unemployed in Malmö during the summer period June-August, which is one of the highest unemployment rates compared to all Swedish municipalities

(Arbetsförmedlingen, 2017). The statistics also reveal that many young people are participating in different labour market programs during the summer period in general.

One of the labour market programs, which applies for young people and is offered by the municipality of Malmö, is Ung i sommar.

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2.1 Ung i sommar – a summer internship program for young

people

During 1994, when many young people were unemployed during their summer holidays, Malmö municipality started discussing and paying attention to the need of youth employment. Different representatives such as school administration, social committee, labour market department, employment service and trade unions in Malmö gathered together to find ways to deal with this issue. It resulted in the Board of Malmö municipality starting an employment project called Ungdom i sommar1_{, which focused on young people between 16-19-years of} age, as they have limited access to the labour market (Malmö stad, 1994).

This project has been active since 1994 in various forms and is now a permanent service. It focuses on collaborating with employers who are willing to offer summer

internships to young people. Today, this program is called Ung i sommar2_{and it reaches out} to young people between 16-19-years living and registered in Malmö. Ung i sommar is a part of Praktik Malmö, which is the organisation that consists of different municipal internship programmes for young people and adults.

Praktik vid Events which is also offered by Praktik Malmö, is another option for young people between 16-19-years who are registered in Malmö. Praktik vid Events internships are offered continuously throughout the year and are focused on short and long-term events. Praktik vid Events will not be examined in this research, however it is presented in the interview results.

The purpose of Ung i sommar is to increase employment and give young people of Malmö access to a meaningful leisure (Malmö stad, 2017b; Malmö stad 2018d). By offering internship positions to young people, their aim is to reduce unemployment and activate young people during their summer holidays. It is also an opportunity to gain experience and learn about the actual work in real life, which can potentially help, motivate and inspire young people in their studies and future employment prospects (Malmö stad, 2017b).

Through the political and economic aspects of Ung i sommar, Malmö municipality aims to decrease youth unemployment and expand the number of labour market activities for them. Every year Ung i sommar receives budget goals from Malmö municipality with an estimation of the number of internship positions which should be achieved during the year. In

1_{English translation: Youth in summer} 2_{English translation: Young in summer}

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9 2017, the goals for Ung i sommar were 3100 internship positions, which resulted in 2860 internship positions (Malmö stad, 2017a; Malmö stad, 2017b).

Young people apply online for internship positions on Malmö municipality’s Ung i sommar website which allows them to choose work period and interest in a specific working field. They are then randomly divided and selected to an employer or an organization by a computer system, after their chosen work period and interest in a specific working field. According to Ung i sommar website young people accomplish approximately six hours per day during a four-week internship and receive an allowance after accomplishing the

internship. Yet, the amount of payment is usually lower than ordinary jobs, since no qualifications are needed, and is dependent on the person’s age.

The task assignments differ depending on the working field, however, their job is to be supportive of the original and daily tasks of that specific employer with certain restrictions due to the age limitations and the nature of being summer interns (Malmö stad, 2018c). The difference between summer job and Ung i sommar internship is that internship does not acquire the same amount of experience or education as an ordinary employee. Interns, in the context of Ung i sommar, are a part of the unit as being co-workers, however they do not have the same responsibilities and obligations as ordinary employees.

Ung i sommar offers internships within seven fields; children and youth care, store, association and leisure, hotel and restaurant, culture and media, garden and maintenance and lastly, health and social care (Malmö stad, 2018c). Every workplace has a mentor who offers an introduction and supports young people during their internship. Ung i sommar cooperates with quality-assured workplaces within the municipality, private sector, authorities and various associations and organizations. Tasks such as looking after children and participating in activities at day-care or schools, preparing and serving food or common janitorial tasks (e.g. cleaning, painting, etc) are some of the examples that are offered by Ung i sommar. After a four-week internship, participants can request an internship certificate from the employer who writes a description on working performance and personal skills.

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3. Previous research

3.1 Internships in Sweden

There is a limited number of previous studies on young immigrant internships and their effects; however, internships have become a more commonly used concept in different labour market contexts in Sweden, such as in municipalities and in the Sweden employment service.

There are internships which can be applied for academics, unemployed, and other groups which gives the person a glimpse of a certain working environment, guidance in future choice of work or study and an entry into the labour market.

A study on internship measures for immigrants' integration and socialization in working life in Sweden was made by Franzén & Johansson (2004). They describe internship as a “natural orientation for planning of studies and vocational training and perhaps also as a possible way into work” (Franzén & Johansson, 2004:7). The plan with the internship is to prepare interns for further studies and can also be an entrance into the labour market. The authors explain that internships can enable interns to learn more about labour market ‘codes’ that are applicable and appropriate to the specific working place.

The authors present various studies on labour market policy measures which are connected to internship. They discuss whether internship is an effective way for immigrants to get work experience through organisational and participation perspectives. Franzén &

Johansson (2004) executed semi-structured interviews with ten immigrant adults with low education and lack of working experience, as well as interviews with officials and

employers. Franzén & Johansson’s (2004) result show that the participants did not have a positive internship experience. Most of the immigrant adults did an internship in a working field that was unrelated to their past working experience, however, they felt it is better to do an internship than to be unemployed. The participants who lacked previous experience and were the lowest educated, were slightly more positive than those who had more working experience as the internship gave them an opportunity to practice Swedish, obtain new professional skills and in some cases offer them employment.

The respondents were discontent of working with fellow citizens, however, if internship with fellow citizens was the only option, the respondents expressed they would rather work than do nothing (Franzén & Johansson, 2004). The results also show that the

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11 adults who had more experience and education, experienced the internship more as a delay and negative effect of development.

Compared to other forms of internships, the duration of internship programs offered in Malmö, can be from few days to even years, depending on authority and purpose of the internship. Some internships are paid, and some are not, but according to the results of Sianesi (2002), internships where the employer receives recruitment support and where the intern tasks are specific and close to the original employees leads better the results (Franzén & Johansson, 2004). Sianesi’s study consisted of approximately 30.000 unemployed adults who participated in different labour market policy measures during 1994-1999 in Sweden.

Different databases such as Händel and Aksat, containing information from the

unemployment funds, were the central method used in Sianesi’s study (Sianesi, 2002).

3.2 Labour Market Integration

Integration is defined as “a sense of belonging in the wider community where you live” (Information Sverige, 2018). It is the feeling of being a part of and included in relationships in the society. Integration is where different people from different backgrounds and cultures are unified, with a goal of equality in a society or a community. Striving inclusion of equality in the society for individuals, can bring equal membership.

Different studies show the importance of writing and speaking the language of the host country to succeed in the labour market. According to a survey made on social capital and social integration in Canada by Ethnic Diversity Survey, Ravanera found 15.431 respondents of the total 42.500 respondents relevant to her study between the ages 15-34 (Ravanera, 2008). The respondents consisted of both non-visible minorities (everyone who is not considered to belong to a “visible minority” group) and visible minorities (Chinese, South Asians and Blacks). Her results show concerns on the findings that immigrants from non-European countries are more likely not to be employed and not take part in economic integration (Ravanera, 2008). The findings show that family ties can have a huge impact on young adults. The feeling of belonging and trust is higher for those adults who have strong family ties and are less likely to experience discrimination.

How well an immigrant can integrate in the host country is discussed in Delmi’s report and on integration and labour market and in an article by Williams Nilsson about Swedish labour market integration (Joyce, 2015; Williams Nilsson, 2018). Joyce (2015) describes the situation of foreign-born and points out factors that are important for integration into the

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12 Swedish labour market. She uses statistics from the Swedish central statistical bureau (SCB), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Eurostat and material from researchers and reports. Both Joyce and Williams mention five factors which can affect integration.

1. Reason for migration 2. Human Capital 3. Social networks

4. Thresholds to the labour market 5. Discrimination

Joyce points out that the reason for migration can substantially affect how well a person integrates in a society (Joyce, 2015). He also mentions the lack of social capital and social networks as a key hindrance to integration since immigrants tend to have fewer informal contacts with the host society than native born, which diminishes the chances of finding employment. Both refer to the lack of language skills and education in the host country as a negative influence on a person’s opportunity for a successful socio-economic integration in the host nation. Not having any or fewer contacts compared to natives in the labour market hardens the process of finding work. Another thing that is mentioned, are thresholds; namely the lack of simple jobs and discrimination that immigrants and foreign-born can be subjected to when applying for work.

The admission status immigrants have can also affect what labour market measures are offered by the host country and later on affect immigrants’ labour market integration (Bevelander, 2011). Bevelander gathered data from the Swedish statistical integration database STATIV. He analysed all refugee and family class immigrants that arrived in Sweden after 1986 from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam and other countries

between ages 20-64. His results show that “the younger and the better educated an individual is, the higher the probability of being employed” (Bevelander, 2011:42). It also demonstrates that country of birth is an important factor that can affect labour market integration. The results reveal that immigrants from Bosnia-Herzegovina had a higher probability to find employment than other immigrant groups.

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3.3 Social Capital and Networks

Malmö municipality states on their website that “housing and networks are, in addition to the language, the most important factors in being able to become and feel like part of society” (Malmö stad, 2018b).

Nordregio, a Nordic research centre for regional development, carried out research on how integration policies and measures are adapted and how they differ in the Nordic countries (Karlsdóttir, Sigurjónsdóttir, Ström Hildestrand & Cuadrado, 2017). The method was

employed by using findings on European and Nordic economic and social science research as well as results from public agency reports that focused on refugees between 20-65-years old. The report states that immigrants face more obstacles compared to locals because of their lack of language skills, lack of networks and lack of local knowledge, which causes difficulties later in the future. The report describes the importance of social network and social inclusion for immigrants in a host country (Karlsdóttir et. al, 2017). The lack of social networks is described as the hardest obstacle for immigrant academics. According to their findings on social networks, networks are crucial for accessing jobs in the Nordic countries and that informal channels remain an important pathway and that many jobs are never advertised publicly (Karlsdóttir et. al, 2017). The report states that it takes an average of five to ten years for a refugee to find work in the Nordic countries. The report further suggests that meetings between residents and refugees are crucial for the integrations process and minimising discrimination in different societal contexts.

Nisbett (2011) who made a study on perceptions of Caribbean international students, presents 13 qualitative interviews made with academic students who are working and

studying in Ontario, Canada. The lack of social contacts in the host country was described as being one of the major obstacles to access the labour market by one participant (Nisbett, 2011). Her results showed that only a few students had social networks who could support them with contacts with employers. Yet some who had obtained employment expressed their dissatisfaction of not being employed based on their experiences but instead based on their social networks (Nisbett, 2011).

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4. Theory

The attention will be on the theories of social capital which is addressed by Robert Putnam (2017) and Pierre Bourdieu (1986). Their theories explain and discuss the notion of social capital which is applicable while analysing labour market integration.

Wiener & Diez (2004) and José Alberto Diaz (1997) focus on the concept of integration and discuss how it can be addressed in various ways. They explain important aspects of how integration can be measured and how a society can succeed with integration.

4.1 Social Capital Theory

The reason for choosing social capital theory is to analyse and focus on how networks and connections can be a crucial asset in the labour market. Social capital can also refer to the way people interact and support each other in relation to their common entity (Lin, 2002).

To understand social capital, the notion of capital needs to be explained. The first thing one may think of is that capital is money or financial assets. However, capital is more complex than that. Nan Lin, who is one of eminent in the field of social capital, defines the notion of capital in his book Social Capital as an “investment of resources with expected returns in the marketplace” (Lin, 1999:3). He describes and explains capital as being a resource that is produced to be put as a profit in the market. The product of capital is then valued through an investment process.

There are different forms of capital in social science which are interesting to be analysed, such as human capital, cultural capital and social capital. Nonetheless, this study will focus only on social capital theory as the main interest of this thesis in order to

investigate what perceptions young immigrants have on social networks and its relation to labour market integration.

Putnam is an American professor in social science who advocates social capital theory. On his website he describes social capital as “the collective value of all social

networks [who people know] and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other [norms of reciprocity]” (Putnam, 2017). In other words, being involved in social relations and networks develops trustworthiness within the group. Putnam explains social capital as the relationship between different actors or people within a society that creates trust and participation in society. The stronger the participation the stronger the social capital within a community.

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15 Putnam is known for acknowledging the importance of members of the society to engage in civic organizations. He believes that the more people who are engaged in civic organization, the stronger the social capital (Rothstein, 1998; Andriani, 2013). The more involved people are, the more trust they will have in each other and political institutions. This idea grew from his study when analysing Italy during the 1970-80's. Putnam connects the growth and more stable democratic state in the northern Italy to social capital. During this time, more people were interacting within civic organizations and there was a stronger

support for the political state. This interaction led to stronger social capital in the north than in the south. According to Putnam this engagement refers to the social networks people have around them. These social networks are crucial and of strong value for the society.

Putnam also divides social capital into bonding and bridging (Sajuria, vanHeerde-Hudson, vanHeerde-Hudson, Dasandi & Theocharis, 2015). Bonding refers to the importance of connecting with people who are alike which later creates a stronger bond between people. Bridging occurs when people are interacting with other people who are different from oneself. People from different types of groups can interact to develop common interest or norms. According to Putnam these aspects increases the social capital in a society.

Pierre Bourdieu is a French sociologist who is well-known for his cultural capital theory, also has a major influence on the development of social capital theory. Bourdieu's class theory is what he calls Habitus. In his most famous paper, Forms of Capital, he

describes Habitus as the system where a person's past social experiences influence a person's lifestyle and structures (Bourdieu, 1986). This leads to the notion that people’s ideas are created from previous expression and certain beliefs are later reformed and reproduced. He states that Habitus is divided into three dimensions; human capital, social capital and cultural capital.

Bourdieu defines social capital as the collection “of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of [...] relationships […] which provides each of its members with the backing of the collectively-owned capital” (Bourdieu, 1986:51). In other words, according to Bourdieu, social capital is the resources which a person owns in relation to his or her networks that gives stronger power to the members of that group. This exclusivity of relationships, as Bourdieu describes it, increases the power to keep a society organized and divided, excluding people who are not a part of the community. This way, powerful groups will strengthen their capital and preserve valuable resources.

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4.2 Integration Theory

Diaz’s (1997) integration theory is relevant as it can be useful in investigating factors of importance for successful integration. The theory helps to understand how young immigrants perceive their Ung i sommar experience in relation to labour market and their participation in the society.

Diaz is a sociologist who mainly focused his theory on the integration system in Sweden and above all on primal integration which he describes as the early stage of

immigrant integration (Diaz, 1997). Diaz defines integration as a condition where immigrant individuals achieve a partial or complete equality with native individuals in terms of

participation in different types of social relations such as working life, housing, conditions and politics (Diaz, 1997). In other words, integration is the social context where immigrants gain a certain increase of belonging and become equal or partly equal to locals.

Integration can be analysed from two different perspectives according to Diaz (Diaz, 1997). Integration is substantially a social phenomenon which is measured through the quality of how immigrants participate and access the labour market, housing and education (Diaz, 1997). However, integration can also be seen as a process, where integration is measured through its development and continuous change (Diaz, 1997; Wiener & Diez, 2004). This process begins with what Diaz calls for primal integration. Primal integration is the process of learning language and the level of immigrants’ independence and participation in the host country. It is the basis of the quality of how immigrants’ integration develops later.

Wiener & Diez (2004) present different ideologies and approaches that explains the theoretical and complex aspects of integration. They mention that some researchers are also interested in the outcome of the integration, as it can be uncertain when the certain rights are subjected to debate for instance in EU. Integration policies are created in the EU and are thereafter followed and reflected on the outcome of how well member states integrate their immigrants.

Diaz mentions three sources in our social system which are important for a successful immigrant integration (Diaz, 1997).

1. The political and administrative power: what decisions are made on policies and other regulatory systems, as well as how resources are distributed in a society.

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17 2. The market: work and business structures that create and distribute financial

resources, income, occupational positions and status.

3. The civil society: individuals, groups and organisations who cooperate and create conditions for collaboration.

Diaz emphasizes the complexity of the integration concept and how it consists of different dimensions such as social-, personal-, economic- and communicative integration to mention a few (Diaz, 1997). He explains social integration as immigrants “having access to a Swedish social network through which immigrants develop contacts with natives in different

environments” such as friendships (Diaz, 1997:33). In other words, when immigrants are in contact with different social environments where locals work or go to school the higher probability there is that social integration will occur. By improving local language and communicative skills, immigrants can more easily access the information of local news and media and feel involved in the society.

5. Method

This part of the study describes the procedure of how data is used and collected as well as why it is important for this study. The chosen method is presented below and the connection to the research questions are explained here.

5.1 Qualitative research

Choosing a qualitative research method to do a study on young immigrants’ experiences is crucial because qualitative research tools can unveil more in-depth individual perceptions and thoughts (Merriam, 2009; May, 2011). Rather than presenting mass data as a quantitative research method that provides superficial findings, a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews is more appropriate and can present more comprehensive meaning, deeper

interpretations and result in more individual patterns. This can enable a better understanding on young immigrants’ thoughts on internship and integration. The significance of interviews functions collectively with secondary data from literatures and articles. The reason for using a qualitative research method was to find out which perceptions young immigrants have on Ung i sommar internship experience, labour market integration and social networks. Three books on qualitative research methods are used as support for implementing the process of data collection (Merriam, 2009; May, 2011; Silverman, 2006).

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18 In order to get a deeper understanding on how young immigrants construct their world and their chance for positive social integration in Sweden, an inductive research method is chosen. This means specific observations during the interviews are essential in order to give the analysis of the results broader spectra. The purpose of the inductive approach is to produce theoretical suggestions from 'facts' from social life (May, 2011). Not until all data is gathered from the interviews are theories proposed.

As mentioned above, a qualitative research opens for exploring thoughts and ideas of a certain context that is investigated. Findings on the perceptions of the interviewees are

necessary for this kind of qualitative study. It gives an insight and an “understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences” (Merriam, 2009:6). This is also addressed in Silverman’s book (Silverman, 2006).

5.2 Selection

To collect participants for this study, a letter of consent was formed and sent to the manager of Ung i sommar. This had to be made to access computer system of Ung i sommar. In this database, all young people who have applied to Ung i sommar are registered. However, there is no register of who is foreign-born or how long they have been in Sweden. To obtain the aspect of international migration it was necessary to select and seek for young immigrants. I sent an email to 788 participants born in 2000 and 2001 that took part of Ung i sommar internship program during 2018, with an inquiry reaching out to young foreign-born including the aim of the study (see Appendix 1). Them being 18 or 19 years at the time of the interview.

The selection of interviews was made after accessibility of respondents and time limitation. It was difficult to find a time for an interview and finding enough respondents at the start within the limited time available. Despite the challenges, 11 young immigrants were interviewed in the end.

Questions for the interviews were made in relation to the research questions. Different interview guides were used as a template to view the content, such as Ung i sommar inquiry from 2017 and Nisbett's appendix on perceptions of Caribbean International Students (Ung i sommar inquiry, 2017; Nisbett, 2011). Importantly, open-ended and flexible questions were more likely to be responded than closed questions (Silverman, 2006). The interview questions were prepared in both Swedish and English, so that there would be an option to change

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19 without hesitation. The interviewees were asked for permission to record in beforehand and informed that the interviews would be done one-on-one.

Before the interviews, a comfortable setting and time needed to be set, so that the interviewee would feel comfortable during the interview. All of the participants were informed about the different interview setting options and were able to choose their own comfortable location for the interview. Four were made at Malmö university, three at the library, two were conducted at the office of Ung i sommar, one was made at the participants school and one was made on the telephone. All of the interviews were ideally planned to be done face-to-face, yet one of the respondents preferred a telephone interview. There was no possibility to have eye contact or for me to read body language, which I found to be an obstacle as it made it more difficult for me to know if the interviewee had understood. The length of the interview was informed to be 30-45 minutes, including the time to get

acquainted with the participant and for her or him to feel comfortable. However, each of the interviews were between approximately 20-30 minutes each, not 45 minutes as estimated.

There were two reasons for choosing young immigrants born in 2001 (18-19-year-olds) as a target group. Firstly, there was no need for permission from an adult, making it more accessible to reach out to young people and find respondents. Secondly, this year was their last year of applying for internship through Ung i sommar, and they were in the beginning of their eventual search for employment outside the program.

5.3 Semi-structured interviews

The reason for choosing semi-structured interviews was to find flexibility in the conversation between the interviewer and interviewee. This means there should be an openness for

recording “the nature of the interview and the way in which they asked the questions” (May, 2011:135). Using this form benefits the conversation by bringing out awareness of what is occurring during the interview.

I conducted the interviews in Swedish as the email I sent was in Swedish and the language they knew better than English. All quotes from the interview questions and answers were translated into English for this study. The interviews were made individually, one-on-one, person to person as intended, except for one interview.

The interviews started with a few background questions, such as asking their origins, age, year of arrival and the reason for migration. Conducting 11 semi-structured interviews likely provided more information about how young people interpret labour market integration

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20 and what their experiences and thoughts of Ung i sommar program are (Merriam, 2009). Another reason for choosing a semi-structured interview is to gain more in-depth knowledge and different interpretations of individuals’ interpersonal perspectives. It is also a way to find challenging patterns of thoughts young immigrants might have on integration into the

Swedish labour market and Swedish society as a whole. This provided more opportunities for new questions or answers during the interview. Three of the interviewees, Vanessa, Sophia and Maya, arrived in Sweden eight to ten years ago in comparison to young immigrants who arrived two to three years ago at the time of the interview. Asking about the length of their stay in Sweden was to see if there are any differences between these groups on how they interpret their internship experiences. It is also used to understand and find any relevant differences on how they reflect on the concept of integration and social networks in the labour market.

May demonstrates three useful conditions in his book Social Research, which are important in the process of interviews: accessibility, cognition and motivation (May, 2011). He says that there can be a risk of the respondent not being familiar with the concepts used, he or she could be stressed and forget information at the time of the interview. The question “What does integration mean to you?” is asked during the interviews as a way to get a personal interpretation and explanation on the concept that is commonly used by the host society when discussing immigration. It is used here to understand if young immigrants think in terms of integration, but it is also used to see if there are any similarities or differences on how much they reflect on labour market integration.

May (2011) advises the interviewer to inform the interviewee what is required and expected during the interview. It is important that the interviewee understands the purpose of the study and what it will be used for. Lastly, the interviewee should be informed about the value of their participation. This results in the importance for their motivation in participating in the interview.

Asking about the interviewee's future dreams at the end of the interview, was to gain information about “the idea of how people think about [...] events in their lives related to other factors that are considered important” (May, 2011: 143). To end the interviews and leave the interviewees with a positive and broad perspective, participants were asked about their future goals.

During the first meeting, one of the respondents, being new to take part in an

interview and the author’s nervousness and beginner skills, could also affect the process. One way to avoid this is to prepare several meetings so that the interviewee feels comfortable. The

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21 interview was ended by asking the respondents if they had any questions or thoughts they wanted to share.

After the interviews were conducted, each interview needed to be transcribed. Several hours of work was done to transcribe all the information that was made from the recordings. The interviews from the mobile phone were transcribed, word by word. As you transcribe and “collect your data it is important to code it according to whatever scheme is relevant to your study” (May, 2011: 174). All relevant information from the interviews are collected and presented in the results.

5.4 Participants

I conducted 11 interviews with young immigrants who participated in Ung i sommar program in 2018, four females and seven males. The participants originated from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Eritrea, Poland and Macedonia.

5.4.1 List of the participants

Miguel, 18-year-old male from Syria who came to Sweden 2016 with his family. His father arrived first, and then Miguel arrived with the rest of his family.

Thomas, 18-year-old male from Palestine who grew up in Syria. Thomas’s father arrived first and then brought his family with him in 2015.

Martin, 19-year-old from male Afghanistan who travelled to Sweden alone without any family. He left his home country because of war and arrived in Malmö 2015.

Vanessa, 18-years old female from Poland who came to Sweden when she was 6 years old, in 2007. Her father moved to Sweden first and then brought the family in order to find a better job and better school opportunities.

Sophia, 18-year-old female from Iraq who came to Sweden when she was 8 years old. Her father came first and then she came with her family from Syria because of war to find safety. Lucy, 19-year-old female from Syria who came to Sweden in 2015 with her family to flee from ongoing war.

Maya, 18-year-old female from Macedonia who arrived in 2010, to find better housing and living conditions. She came to Sweden together with her parents and her sibling.

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22 Alex, 18-year-old male from Afghanistan who grew up in Iran. He travelled to Sweden alone because he did not have residency in Iran and had to leave the country.

Benjamin, 18-year-old male from Eritrea who travelled alone and arrived in Sweden 2015. He came to Sweden to find a better life, a better education and help his parents in Eritrea

financially.

Brady, 18-year-old male who left Palestine together with his family because of war in 2015. Michael, 18-year-old male who grew up in Palestine. His father came first to Sweden and Michael arrived with the rest of his family in 2016.

Table 1: Name, setting, gender, age, country of origin, arrival, how and reason for migration. *All of the names above have been replaced with new ones to offer anonymity for all the interviewees.

5.5 Literature review

Search for literature was made on Libsearch on Malmö University Library website and Malmö university library. The search was made both in English and Swedish. Keywords that were used: Ung i sommar, integration, labour market integration, internship, young immigrant and social capital. Books and e-books online were used to gather more information. Using different articles on the topic helped to gain information on the discussion made on social capital, labour market integration and internship. Suggested material from supervisor was also used.

Name Setting Gender Age Country of Origin Arrival How Reason for migration 1. Miguel library M 18 Syria 2016 family (father) safety/better life 2. Thomas office M 18 Palestine from Syria 2015 family (father) war/military service 3. Martin office M 19 Afghanistan 2015 alone war

4. Vanessa library F 18 Poland 2007 family (father) better job chances/school 5. Sophia library F 18 Iraq 2008 family (father) Iraq Syria not safe 6. Lucy telephone F 19 Syria 2015 family war

7. Maya school F 18 Macedonia 2010 family better housing/living conditions 8. Alex university M 18 Afghanistan grew up in Iran 2015 alone no residence in Iran

9. Benjamin university M 18 Eritrea 2015 alone study/better life/help parents 10. Brady university M 18 Palestine 2015 family war

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23 Including the above, theories asserted by the following theorists was used in finding relevant theoretical support; Pierre Bourdieu (1986) and Robert Putnam (2017), in finding relevant information. For this method section, materials on how to write qualitative studies by May (2011), Merriam (2009) and Silverman (2006) was used.

Some words were used together and separate in the searching process. Secondary source was used throughout the whole process, including interviews which were completed by the author through their perceptions.

5.6 Validity, Reliability and Ethics

Validity refers to whether the research questions used measure what is to be investigated. The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate how young immigrants perceive their experience of Ung i sommar internship and how their perceptions of their experiences are related to their access to Swedish labour market. To make measurements accurately, it was important to ask what the concept of integration means to each person, as well as, ask why they applied to Ung i sommar and what their experiences were from their summer internship. The reason for asking each person to describe the concept of integration was to give space for every individual to explain their own experience of integration.

When a respondent did not comprehend the concept of integration it was explained by the author as a ‘feeling of belonging and being a part of the Swedish society’. Even though this affects the individual understanding of the concept and may not strengthen its validity, questions about what methods they believe can help or have helped them to approach the labour market, how they apply for summer jobs and how they establish new contacts and networks were asked, increases validity. These questions reflect on how young immigrants integrate in the labour market. With a limited time to implement interviews it would have been important to do a respondent validation. It means that I, as the author, reach out to previous interviewees for feedback to ensure the findings are accurate (Merriam, 2009). This would have given more validity to this study. To obtain validity, the information used must be based on its intentions. Information from the interviews, theories and previous studies were used carefully and used in a way that it would be specific to this thesis subject, and not used in a different way.

Not only is it important to ask the appropriate questions to answer research questions, it is also important to make sure that “future researchers could repeat the research project and come up with the same results, interpretations and claims” (Silverman, 2006: 281). This is

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24 also known as reliability. While creating research it is important to include reliable and

confiding information to create reliability for the reader (Merriam, 2009). To keep an

objective mind throughout the whole process, precise descriptions and direct quotes from the interviewees are presented to create reliability so that other researcher can replicate the exact same way and get the same results. As I followed my interview guide throughout the process it gives others the possibility to replicate the same questions and get the same variables.

However, completing 11 interviews for this study gives only a glimpse of young immigrants’ perceptions of Ung i sommar and labour market integration. This gives a small spectrum of interpretation while generalizations cannot be made. Even with different precautions there will be difficulties to be fully impartial as a qualitative study can be unreliable because of surroundings, emotional stress, structure or our non-relation and as Silverman suggests; information from recordings can be unreliable because everything cannot be recorded, such as body language, eye contact or pauses (Silverman, 2006). Conducting interviews in different places, can affect the results as the surroundings can have different impact on how the interviewee feels, if she or he feels comfortable or uncomfortable.

The information used is suitable for this specific research. The interviewees were informed about the purpose of the study and that the interviews would be used for this study only, following the ethics of this study. All the interviewees were asked for permission for making recordings and were informed of their right to withdraw at any time. Information about anonymity and interview participation being voluntary was also shared. Participants were also informed about the interviews being kept for transliteration and later erased after the thesis had been approved and graded. Details, such as real names, have been edited to keep their promised anonymity. Age and country of origin are, however, mentioned in the results.

Due to language difficulties or limitations in interpretation of what an actual term means to the participants of the study, the questions concerning integration which was described by the author because of language difficulties lead to a “risk of the respondent not being familiar with or having access to concepts used as well as the risk of forgetting

information during the interview process” (May, 2011: 141). Which language the person feels more comfortable with, English or Swedish, should have been asked. However, since the email information was made in Swedish, I decided to follow the same structure.

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5.7 Role of the Researcher

As the author of this thesis, it is crucial to me to be consistent and carefully collect all the used material. It is important to be aware of my previous role as a labour market secretary in Ung i sommar and how it may affect the process and interpretation of the study. This requires me as the author to use reliable and valid information without interpretation or subjectivity. Even though information about current working position at that time was made before the interview and the author’s previous working position in Ung i sommar, the results can be biased. The fact that two interviews were made at the office of Ung i sommar can also affect the results. However, having background information about Ung i sommar gave me as an interviewer the advantage of having the knowledge and asking more specific questions about the outcome and how the internship could be better.

6. Results

6.1 Young immigrants’ experiences of Ung i sommar internship

The 11 interviewees shared some of their internship experiences during the interviews. Young immigrants perceive their Ung i sommar internship positive. According to Lucy who worked at a supermarket says that she “ha[s] learned a lot about this, lots of things” (sic), referring to her internship. For an example, she helped and provided services for the customers. Lucy says, “I think next time I can do better than the last time”. She will apply for Ung i sommar next year and hopefully get a chance to do an internship in the field of children and youth care.

Sophia also worked with customer service but at a gaming centre. She says that she learned how to “guide customers to games, connect with customers and stuff like that and […] become a part of the staff” (sic). She had previous experience from Ung i sommar internships, but this year she said: “I felt I got a lot more responsibility, I felt more that I was taken seriously”. Sophia explains that she gains a better understanding of her parents’

situation, who might not be happy with their daily jobs but have to make it work. She continues by saying: “you were not just a kid who would just be there, but they have one of those things, those steps you take you mark on the register. You start as an intern, and finish, then you end up as someone who really works there, as what they do” (sic).

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26 She says that they “never got as many rooms as those who worked there, we got maybe less than half of what they got”. She continues and says the internship “can always be better and it can always be worse, I was happy with what I got because I got new contacts, I got to know new people, experience something new”.

Martin did an internship at an association where he took care of children for four weeks. He says that he “played many times with small children, they are very happy, we have baked, and they said you have to cook [food]” (sic). He also cooked and grilled several times and played some football. Benjamin did an internship at Malmö municipality where he fixed taps and cleaned pools which he said were “good tasks” while learning work-related words in Swedish.

6.2 Young immigrants’ perceptions of Ung i sommar internship

experiences reflected in integration

The most common reasons for migration among all interviewees were ongoing wars and the search for better life conditions. Five young immigrants stated that they moved after their father had first arrived in Sweden. One of the interviewees, Miguel, explains that his “father wanted [them] to study and have a better life”. Benjamin, states that he left his home country to migrate to Sweden “to study, plan [his] future, become better and better, and help [his] parents”. Thomas says it was “not only the war, the biggest reason was military service because we were not that affected by the war, but my parents did not want us to participate in military service, because many of them never returned” (sic).

To frame the subject of the study, the interviewees were asked to explain what integration means to them. Some of the respondents had a response for what integration meant, however many have not heard the concept before as expected. During the interview prior to clarify the concept integration, the following question was asked: what is important to become a part of the society, in school and at work? Thomas responds; “to be mixed in the society. Be able to work, know the language. To do your tasks and at the same time knowing your rights and obligations”. Maya explains integration as “to work there, to feel very safe, to talk to those you work with, […], to have respect for each other and things like that (sic). According to Sophia the concept of integration was familiar, and she explains it as: “being able to feel that you belong to society, that you can contribute something”. In comparison to, Alex, for whom the concept of integration was not understood at first because of language difficulties. The concept of integration was explained to Alex as; “when you are new in

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27 Sweden, you have to integrate into Swedish society, be a part of society.” Alex then replies; “you must follow the law”. He continues to explain: “it's been hard, it was not easy. I had no phone, nothing...I know no people” (sic). Even Lucy had difficulties to understand the concept after asking how it is to migrate to another country, she replies: “I think in Sweden better than in Syria. I think there is more respect for people” (sic). Vanessa, says that she has heard the concept before, however when asked what it means to her, she replies: “I don’t know, don’t usually think [about it]”.

After asking about opportunities in the labour market and if they have applied for summer jobs, Michael tells the author that he “applied for work several times but did not get work”. This was very similar to the way Martin explains how he applied for many jobs with the help of his family member, but never got a chance. Lucy, who has been in Sweden for 3,5 years tells that “it is difficult, but when I work more, the second time and the third time so I should feel that it is easier”. Miguel, who had previous labour market experience from both Ung i sommar and Praktik vid Events, says that it has been hard to find work and he has never been called for an interview. However, through these programs he says internship is a good way to enter the labour market as “you are able to show the employer you are better than others and show your skills” (sic). Sophia answers that “here in Malmö there are quite a lot of opportunities, because we have Ung i sommar, we have schools, such type, through school you get networks, you get that from Ung i sommar as well”. Vanessa expresses that “it matters how you choose to apply for work and way you choose to apply”. She thinks “that you [have to] take the first step, you can’t sit and wait, if you want something you have to work for it, you can't just sit and wait until someone offers you one.”

After asking about what can facilitate their and other young immigrants’ opportunities in the labour market Martin replies; “very difficult, first have to cope with the language, difficult to get into to high school or Komvux, get into the programs [...], the language is a bit difficult to be able to speak, if you know language you can work” (sic).

Brady expresses that to facilitate young immigrants’ opportunities in the labour market it is important to “study, work hard. You have to think about your future. There are many jobs. If you do not study we cannot find anything, we cannot contact anyone” (sic). During Thomas’s internship at Ung i sommar he thought applying for work would be easier: “that you just apply for work and you'll get the job, but it wasn't like that. I understood that you need to know people and get contacts”. Maya also expresses that doing internships and working is “a little difficult for me because I need a lot of help. She says that it is difficult because “I don’t know many rules about living here”, but if [you] have parents that know very

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28 much so that you don’t need help” (sic). Sophia, on the other hand, expresses that she does not really know what can help to facilitate her and other young immigrants’ opportunities in the labour market, “I haven’t thought so far, but I know that certain things like, you should get well paid” (sic). Sophia was also one of the few people that was offered a job at the internship but turned it down because she would have received the same pay as she did as an intern.

Both Martin and Thomas said that Ung i sommar internship helped them to speak and learn better Swedish. They both said that if they did not have a summer job or internship they would just have stayed at home and done nothing. Thomas further explained that he wanted to get an internship and more working experience that can help him in search for jobs. He said it “helped me to know this technique, the tactics of finding work. If I stayed at home all summer or gone somewhere else […] I never would have learned this”. Even Maya said “I have learned a lot, because when I went there I didn't know how the kids were, they were like me […] you never know this job, here you work. you know, you don't know how it is” (sic). By other words Maya said that before the internship she did not know how it is to work at a kindergarten but then realised how real-life work was like.

Miguel explains that learning Swedish has been difficult and he wants to talk more to people who know Swedish and thinks “if I work and gain work experience then I can also practice my language. And that is why I wanted extra work, not just for work experience but language, to know how it works here in Sweden. Mix me with the culture with society, be a part of society and it helped me a lot. So that's why I thought it was a good idea to work in Ung i sommar” (sic). For Miguel, the internship was a chance to get more working experience and learn better Swedish that gave him a feeling of belonging.

6.3 Young immigrants’ perceptions of Ung i sommar internship

experiences reflected in social networks

To understand the concept of social capital and networks young immigrants were asked about the use of networks and if they have used references from Ung i sommar internship to find jobs. The interviewees shared some thoughts on what support they received when searching and finding employment.

Only a few have applied for work after the internship and used Ung i sommar as a reference for applying work. However, some of the interviewees claimed that social relations and networks are important to obtain and access the labour market in Sweden. After being asked about social networks importance Maya replied; “If you don't have connections or

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29 experience you don't have any chance getting work”. She also said that she received an

internship diploma from her supervisor because “supervisors change” and when she applies for work through job ads, she occasionally contacts the person to ask if they need a substitute.

Miguel stated very similarly: “it was a bit hard to find work, not hard, impossible. If you don't have connections or experience you don't have any chance of getting work” (sic). However, Thomas said that “[one] cannot get networks, connections just happen”. He said that “networks or connections from parents can help one to find work. Or someone from school”.

Martin was informed about the Ung i sommar program from his family members. He explained that “my aunt’s husband helped me to apply for work and for Ung i sommar, several times”. This year was his first time to participate in Ung i sommar internship. Martin expresses that “young people need to feel that they are effective in the society and [are] getting work experience”. He says young people lack social support and “when they don’t have anyone who listens to them, they choose the other direction” (sic). He implied that it is important that young people have support in their surroundings and have someone to turn to. He continued telling that “many lack energies because they are forced” (sic). He described himself as being “lucky” for having a job because he does not have contacts: “I don’t know no one here in Malmö” (sic). He was also one of the few who had used Ung i sommar as a reference when applying for work.

Miguel noticed during his summer internship that there were “many young people that are born in Sweden but cannot talk that good Swedish. It can be resolved by projects like Ung i sommar, a very good idea is to take young people and benefit of them” (sic). Brady applied to Ung i sommar to get an internship and working experience: “something that can help me in searching for other work, also to mix me in the culture, learn the language, learn how society works in Sweden” (sic). Vanessa said that during her internship experience “I got along with them as I work, we had a lot of fun, because we used to joke with each other and stuff, so it was fun” (sic). She used Ung i sommar as a reference on one occasion but did not apply for many jobs because of school and employment she found through her sister’s contacts.

Michael explains that connections he made through his internship experience can give him better opportunities of getting work. After his internship he plans to find causal work. Sophia said that her supervisor at the internship informed her that she could use her as a reference if she ever needed that.

Lastly, but most importantly, Thomas requested “more internship positions, not only for immigrants but for Swedes too. They have networks and know how life works here”.He

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30 continued to describe how it is extremely important that “people from other countries speak Swedish and merge into the society through Ung i sommar and mix at work, because school is failing in that”. He suggests that large projects or new ideas are needed, not only jobs but also short courses to “open the eyes of young people to reality” and create trustworthiness in the community.

7. Analysis and Discussion

In this research, the qualitative method utilizing semi-structured interviews with young immigrants was chosen as the best tool to explore and understand young immigrants’ perceptions of their integration in Swedish labour market via Ung i sommar.

The results from the 11 semi-structured interviews cannot claim to represent the young immigrant group in Sweden as a whole. However, it is important to recognize some of the important findings that derived from the participants’ shared experiences and perspectives on integration and social networks in Swedish labour market. It is also important to acknowledge that perhaps these insights might be a partial reflection of the current state of young

immigrants in Sweden. Furthermore, it is also vital to take each of these interviewees’ stories to account and be considered for further research. When analysing the results from young immigrants’ perceptions from Ung i sommar internship, it is important to analyse if the answers from the immigrants who came in 2010 and earlier, differs from the immigrants who arrived in 2015-2016.

7.1 Young immigrants’ Ung i sommar internship experiences

The respondents expressed a positive mindset to Ung i sommar internship program. One potential reason for the overall positive attitude towards the program can be the fact that the young immigrants who replied are the ones who wanted to participate in an interview in the first place. Being negative towards the program and participating in an interview might not be an active choice a person makes. However, by asking young immigrants to describe the tasks they performed during their internship and asking if the internship was meaningful gives certain information about young immigrants’ perceptions of Ung i sommar internship.

The young immigrants who arrived between 2015-2016 to Sweden express their internship experiences as meaningful. Martin who arrived in 2015 seemed satisfied based upon his shared experiences from the internship where he took care of and played with

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31 children. After the internship at a supermarket, Lucy expresses that she learned a lot about different things, such as labour market skills and even though working a supermarket was not her first choice, she enjoyed it. Even Thomas, Miguel, and Benjamin describe their

internships as positive.

Similar patterns can be seen in the stories from young immigrants who arrived in 2010, 2008, and 2007, nevertheless with one minor exception. Vanessa who arrived in 2007, said that the internship “can always be better and it can always be worse”, however she was happy about learning something new and finding new contacts. Maya, who arrived in 2010, said that she learned a lot from her internship, including profession-skills, how to work at a kindergarten and becoming aware of the difference of working with kids from how it is at home. In relation to results of Sianesi’s study (2002), which indicate better results when an intern’s tasks are specific and as close to the original employees, Sophia expressed: “You start as an intern, and finish, then you end up as someone who really works there, as […] they do”. She learned how to guide and connect with customers like the staff which led a feeling of belonging to the group and a certain equality with her peers and colleagues.

In addition to the results of this study and Franzén and Johansson’s (2004) findings on immigrant adults and internship, it is relevant to mention that expectations of an internship can affect the outcome and understanding whether internship is good or bad. Expectations and ideas immigrants may have on different internship positions of how an internship is or should be can affect the outcome and form the feelings of a person. Other people’s expectations can also affect young people’s internship experiences.

7.2 Young immigrants’ Ung i sommar internship experiences

reflected in integration

Findings from the interviews show that the main reason for migration was ongoing war, some being more affected by the war in their country of origin than others. This can affect the results of how young immigrants adapt in the host country, as Joyce’s (2015), Bevelander’s (2011) and William’s (2018) research suggests.

Analysing young immigrants who migrated to Sweden because of war, five persons stated this reason, all of them who arrived in 2015-2016. Vanessa, Sophia and Maya who arrived in 2010, 2008, 2007 migrated to have better housing, school and chance in life with the minor exception of Sophia who migrated with her family because it was not safe in her home country Iraq, and Syria where she has also lived. I can assume that Sophia and her

Social Capital and Labour Market Integration : A study on young immigrants’ perceptions on the labour market and their participation in Ung i sommar