Perceived employability of skilled migrants: a systematic review and future research agenda

• Published in: International journal of human resource management Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 478 - 528
• Main Authors: Farashah, Ali, Blomquist, Tomas, Al Ariss, Akram, Guo, Grace Chun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 04.02.2023; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Career transitions; Employability; Human resource management; immigration; Industrial Economics and Organisations; industriell ekonomi och organisation; migrant worker; Migrant workers; Migrants; Moderation; Moderators; Organizational research; skilled migrant; Systematic review; work transition
• ISSN: 0958-5192; 1466-4399; 1466-4399
• DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2022.2099226

This review examines the perceived employability of skilled migrants (SMs) through an analysis of 88 management and organisational research articles published over 2009-2019 period. We find the extant literature characterised by context-specific studies featuring considerable variety in terms of levels of analysis, theory, and content. Using the notion of perceived employability, key themes in the literature are identified and presented in an integrative framework. The framework encompasses individual, organisational, occupational, and institutional components of the perceived employability of SMs, different forms of work transition and associated mediators (broadening strategies) and moderators (transition conditions). Proposing adoption of process thinking for future research, suggestions regarding the interaction of individual and contextual components of perceived employability and the mediation and moderation mechanisms in the process of work transition are outlined.