This research, to be carried out in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki, seeks to explore how migrants take hold of jobs across different types of work and employment relationships in Finland supported by relationships and encounters emerging in critical nodes, located at the intersection of their own networks and the host-country labour market. Three empirical case studies will be undertaken in different sectors, involving different forms of migrant employment and entrepreneurship. Worker interviews, expert interviews and ethnography will be used as methods. A synthetising (fourth) case study will build theory around migrants' labour networks and critical nodes, taking a critical perspective on general labour market theory. For policymakers and the labour demand side (employers), this study will provide useful insights into the variety of labour supplying networks that are often hidden from them or are too complex for them to have a grasp of.

2024

2028