Beschreibung
The phenomenon of overqualification (here defined as exercising a job that requires a lower qualification than the level of the highest degree obtained) is particularly widespread among migrants. In popular discourse and in scholarly literature, difficulties to master the destination-country language are often seen as a main factor explaining migrants’ downward professional mobility – and sometimes even presented as a legitimate penalty on the labour market.Our paper scrutinzes this often unquestioned assumption and explores how migrants experience the importance of language skills in dequalification processes. Which language skills do they perceive as relevant for their everyday professional life? What requirements do they experience in this regard when applying for jobs and in everyday working life? What challenges do they face? Which registers and varieties do they consider particularly important?
The analyses presented are based on empirical data collected as part of a current research project (DEMICO, for more information see demico.univie.ac.at). The project investigates dequalification processes of EU citizens in Vienna. Within the framework of a qualitative panel, highly qualified migrants from CEE countries (Central and Eastern Europe) are interviewed about their experiences in the labour market and at work. Even though the project’s focus is on the Austrian labour market, our data permits insights into how languages shape experiences of onward migrants: Many of our interview partners have had migration experiences prior to their arrival in Austria and their narrations reflect how language skills are valued differently in different contexts and also the importance of languages in migration decisions.
A comparison of the different destination country contexts reveals that knowledge of the official language often plays an important role in informal situations in everyday working life and fulfils not only an intermediary but also a social function – it is thus sometimes more about inclusion and exclusion than about passing on information. Often, very subtle (linguistic) differences make access to professional positions and opportunities for promotion more difficult. Our data provides empirical evidence regarding the relevance of native-speakerism and racio-linguistic discrimination as it shows how language issues transcend communication problems and linguistic discrimination may limit migrants’ access to certain jobs even though their proficiency or accent does not impair understanding or good performance in the actual job environment.
| Zeitraum | 14 Feb. 2024 |
|---|---|
| Ereignistitel | Language and Onward Migration: Bridging Applied Linguistics with Migration Studies: BAAL/CUP Seminar |
| Veranstaltungstyp | Konferenz |
| Ort | London, Großbritannien / Vereinigtes KönigreichAuf Karte anzeigen |