Rethinking the Role of Volunteering in the Labor Market Inclusion of Migrants
Bontenbal, I., Calo, F., Montgomery, T., & Baglioni, S. (2024). Rethinking the Role of Volunteering in the Labor Market Inclusion of Migrants. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 53(1), 107-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/08997640231162352
Published in
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector QuarterlyDate
2024Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023
In this article, we critically investigate the role that volunteering can have in the labor market inclusion of migrants. We consider how volunteering can both enhance and hinder inclusion through a comparison of two different contexts: Finland and the United Kingdom, where both welfare state and migration regimes are differently shaped. We also question whether volunteering to gain work experience can be defined as “volunteering” or whether it corresponds more with a definition of unpaid labor. Our research is based on 104 interviews with migrants (including refugees and asylum seekers) from various nationalities. We find that volunteering is used in both countries as a way to gain work experience, in the absence of opportunities to enter regular employment. However, volunteering rarely directly leads to employment even though it may facilitate it indirectly and, thus, risks trapping migrants in a vicious cycle that does not always lead to labor market inclusion.
Publisher
SAGE PublicationsISSN Search the Publication Forum
0899-7640Keywords
Publication in research information system
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/182944533
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
Related funder(s)
European CommissionFunding program(s)
RIA Research and Innovation Action, H2020![](/themes/JYX2/images/funders/eu_logo_thumb.jpg)
The content of the publication reflects only the author’s view. The funder is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
Additional information about funding
The research was funded by the Horizon 2020 SIRIUS Project (reference: 770515).License
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Coping with discrepancies : implications of career guidance and counselling for migrants’ social inclusion in Finland and Sweden
Aldrovandi, Alessandra; Kalalahti, Mira; Sundelin, Åsa (Taylor & Francis, 2024)Career guidance and counselling (CGC) plays an important role in the ‘egalitarian tradition’ of the Nordic countries’ perspective of education, since it aims to support all students in developing skills and knowledge to ... -
Agency of labour in a flexible pan-European labour market : a qualitative study of migrant practices and trade union strategies in the Netherlands
Berntsen, Lisa E. (University of Jyväskylä, 2015)Regulatory frameworks on intra-EU mobility and flexible cross-border employment relations have stimulated competition on labour costs by recruiting migrants via cheaper labour market regimes. While it allows firms to ... -
The career potential of migrant scholars in Finnish higher education : emerging perspectives and dynamics
Hoffman, David M. (University of Jyväskylä, 2007)David Hoffman tutki väitöstyössään suomalaisessa korkeakoulujärjestelmässä työskentelevien akateemisten siirtolaisten näkökulmia ja kokemuksia. Tutkimus toi esiin tärkeitä haasteita liittyen suomalaisen väestön nopeaan ... -
Critical Social Inclusion of Adult Migrant Language Learners in Working Life : Experiences From SFI and LINC Programs
Pötzsch, Tobias; Saksela-Bergholm, Sanna (Cogitatio, 2023)How can integration education programs facilitate the more seamless inclusion of migrant newcomers into working life and civil society? Traditionally, integration policy and practice have been framed within a nation‐state ... -
Working while studying : does it lead to greater attachment to the regional labour market?
Haapanen, Mika; Karhunen, Hannu (Edward Elgar, 2017)