Factors limiting immigrants to the secondary labour market in Sweden. A case study of the hotel and restaurant sector in Malmö

Abstract: This thesis tries to find out factors limiting Immigrants to the secondary Labour Market in Sweden, with focus on the Hotel and Restaurant employment sector. I analyze the possible limitations of immigrants working in the secondary job category within the hotel and restaurant sector of the Swedish Labour market by applying theories of Segmented Labour Market, Human Capital, Signal Theory, Social Capital and possibly Discrimination. The study was carried out using a semi-structured interview method with individuals who were employed in the hotel and restaurant sector in Malmo city, Sweden. The result obtained in this research shows that Immigrants with a foreign educational qualification in the Swedish labour market would not find jobs beyond the secondary labour market. The study also gives an indication that the low educational level of the immigrants in the host country also limits immigrants to the Secondary labour market. This paper also shows that, regardless of factors such as the type of educational qualification and where it was concluded, type of work experiences, lack of relevant work experience, and high level of unemployment, which limits immigrants’ possibility for occupational/professional mobility in the Swedish labour market, preferential discrimination is also suspected to play a significant role with respect to employment.