Despite being born and raised in Nordic countries with citizenship, migrant descendants face persistent labor market barriers including underemployment, discrimination, overqualification, limited upward mobility, and wage gaps—even though Nordic countries score highly on integration policies and have strong welfare systems. A comprehensive overview of labor market integration among migrant descendants across the Nordic Region is currently lacking.
The scoping review of the project addresses this gap by systematically mapping existing knowledge, examining how intersectional factors (gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic background) and parental status shape employment outcomes. Growing populations of migrant descendants represent significant demographic and economic potential. Structural labor market inequalities contradict Nordic values of equality and social inclusion. Understanding barriers and patterns across countries can inform evidence-based policy development.
The main goal of the project is to map and synthesize existing scholarly literature on the employment trajectories, experiences, and integration challenges of migrant descendants in Nordic labor markets, identifying patterns, gaps, and informing future research and policy development.
The project follows five-stage scoping review framework: (1) Research questions focus on labor market experiences, (2) Search across academic databased, (3) Study selection using clear inclusion criteria, (4) Data extraction, (5) Thematic analysis of the paper selected.
In the project, Nordregio is responsible for conducting the scoping review on migrant descendants’ labor market integration across Nordic countries. The report will be presented as part of the NCM and NWC conference on integration in Helsinki November 2025.
The project will deliver a comprehensive scoping review report that:
- Maps existing research on migrant descendants’ labor market integration across Nordic countries
- Identifies key barriers: employment gaps, discrimination, wage disparities, overqualification, and limited mobility
- Analyzes how intersectional factors (gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic background) shape outcomes
- Highlights research gaps and proposes areas for future investigation
The review will support:
- Policymakers with evidence to develop targeted integration policies addressing structural inequalities
- Practitioners with insights to design effective employment interventions
- Researchers by identifying knowledge gaps for future studies
By synthesizing knowledge across Nordic contexts, the review enables cross-national learning ultimately supporting more equitable labor markets.
