First-generation immigrants' experiences of entering and remaining in the Swedish labour market in a sustainable way: A qualitative study.
Maria Brendler-Lindqvist, Magnus Svartengren, Martin Tondel and 1 others
Prolonged cycles of short-term contracts and unemployment eroded these immigrants' professional identity and sense of control.
They wanted work to mean belonging and purpose, not just income. A consistent, engaged employment officer and social support from family were what kept them going.
Key findings
1The core problem was not initial unemployment but the ongoing instability over years — short-term contracts, subsidised jobs that never converted to permanent ones, and repeated rejections — which eroded professional identity, well-being, and the sense of being able to act on one's own life.
2For these participants, a job was not primarily about earning a living. They valued feeling needed, feeling capable in the work, and being included in a social context with colleagues and a manager who treated them with respect.
3Support from the Swedish Public Employment Service varied enormously: those with a consistent, engaged caseworker who interviewed them weekly and sent tailored job listings felt supported; those whose caseworker kept changing or who were pushed toward digital-only contact felt abandoned and lost confidence in the system.
Still to come
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Eighteen participants recruited through immigrant organisations and unemployment support programmes; this likely selected for people with more negative experiences and does not represent the full range of immigrant labour market experiences in Sweden. All interviews were conducted in Swedish, and participants had varying proficiency. The authors acknowledge this may have limited some participants' ability to fully express their thoughts and feelings. Participants were not offered the chance to review transcripts or provide feedback on findings, a decision the authors justified by the variation in education and language proficiency but which limits member validation. The sample was heterogeneous (ages 22–69, education from primary school to university degree, 4–38 years in Sweden), making it hard to draw conclusions about any specific subgroup. Only one interviewer conducted all interviews (with supervision), and the interviewer was a Swedish-born woman, which the authors acknowledge may have influenced what participants chose to share. No gender analysis was performed despite 11 women and 7 men; the authors note this was not a primary focus and the small number of men limits any comparison.
Declared interests
Funded by The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (grant 2021-01561). The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that a particular support model or intervention works for immigrants seeking employment. This is a description of what 18 people in Sweden experienced and what they found helpful or unhelpful. No intervention was tested, no comparison group existed, and the authors themselves note that the findings call for further research rather than prescribing a specific practice change. The themes are rich and clinically resonant, but they are one group's accounts, not a tested treatment effect.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →