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'A strong mind and a solid physique': symbolic constructions of migrant workers in Sweden's green industries
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Geography.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2997-9059
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Geography.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7643-0272
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Geography.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7888-780x
2023 (English)In: Nordic Journal of Migration Research, E-ISSN 1799-649X, Vol. 13, no 2, article id 4Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article analyses how employer federations, trade unions and the Swedish state symbolically construct seasonal migrant workers to work in the green industries, specifically in agriculture, forestry and wild-berry picking. Work tasks and skills become ethnicised where certain groups are constructed as ‘fit’ for certain work tasks. Through symbolic constructing, boundaries are drawn in relation to Swedish workers in general but also hierarchically within the group of seasonal migrant workers and in relation to specific groups in Sweden, typically un-employed youth and newly settled refugees. This paper is based on interviews with unions and employer organisations as well as secondary text-sources and legal texts. The analysis shows that while employers construct seasonal migrant workers as vital for agriculture, forestry and wild-berry picking, arguing that their line of business could not be sustained without them, the union side portrays this as an ‘artificial demand’. Within a system that to a large degree is based on employers’ demand for inexpensive and flexible labour, symbolic boundaries of seasonal migrant workers are not only performed by the employers’ side, but are also co-constructed with and sanctioned by the state; while partly contested by the unions.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Helsinki University Press, 2023. Vol. 13, no 2, article id 4
Keywords [en]
Employer Federations, Green Industries, Migrant Workers, Sweden, Symbolic Constructions
National Category
International Migration and Ethnic Relations
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-211161DOI: 10.33134/njmr.484ISI: 001019681800004Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85162227780OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-211161DiVA, id: diva2:1780854
Projects
2013-01457 Grapes of Wrath: Global labour mobility in the wild berry industry affecting rural development in Sweden and Thailand2021-02226 Wild berry shifting: Sustainability transitions and diverse economies in a rural ‘sparseland’Available from: 2023-07-06 Created: 2023-07-06 Last updated: 2024-01-30Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Invisible yet essential: the role of seasonal labour migration in Sweden’s green industries
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Invisible yet essential: the role of seasonal labour migration in Sweden’s green industries
2024 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Over the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in seasonal labour migration to the green industries in Sweden. This migration, from both within and outside the EU, has been presented as a solution to local labour shortages by the industries. Migrant workers are a group that is often in a precarious situation due to the intersection of labour market regulations and migration policies. Both the labour market and migration policies in Sweden gone through substantial changes, following a neoliberal trajectory. 

Against the backdrop of labour market neoliberalization this thesis aims to investigate seasonal labour migration in the green industries, particularly in forestry and berry picking. It explores how different actors understand, describe, and justify the use of foreign labour and analyses the structural factors driving this trend.

The thesis is comprised of four articles exploring and discussing different aspects of this subject. Collectively, they address various questions about the role of labour migration in neoliberalism, different structural actors' perspectives on migrant workers in green industries, and the connection between the inherent characteristics of green industries and labour migration. Additionally, it scrutinizes the inclusion of migrant workers in Sweden's sustainability efforts.

The conclusion demonstrates that structures like neoliberalism favour economic interests in Sweden and impact sustainability work. Labour migration is seen as part of market orientation that increases the availability of exploitable labour. Symbolic boundaries between worker groups are employed to justify the need for migrant workers, complicating labour unions' organization efforts, and reinforcing inequality in an increasingly informal labour market

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Umeå: Umeå University, 2024. p. 93
Series
GERUM, ISSN 1402-5205 ; 2024:1
Keywords
labour migration, neoliberalism, green industries, forestry, berry industry, precarious work
National Category
Human Geography
Research subject
Social and Economic Geography
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-219789 (URN)978-91-8070-253-9 (ISBN)978-91-8070-254-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2024-02-16, UB.A.210, Samhällsvetarhuset, Umeå, 13:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Projects
2013-01457 Grapes of Wrath: Global labour mobility in the wild berry industry affecting rural development in Sweden and Thailand
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas
Available from: 2024-01-26 Created: 2024-01-22 Last updated: 2024-01-24Bibliographically approved

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Olofsson, IrmaTollefsen, AinaHedberg, Charlotta

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