The role of Social Networking Service (SNS) for young refugees’ employment in Sweden : A qualitative study on how Facebook contributes to young refugees aged 18-30 years old seeking job information in Jönköping, Sweden

Abstract: This research has investigated how Facebook contributes to young refugees aged between 18-30 seeking a job in Jönköping. Past research revealed that the usage of social media has drastically increased during the past years so social media has become one of the main forms of communication. The refugee crisis started after the war in the Middle East in 2011 and refugees faced many challenges after their arrival to a new country, including finding a job which is one of the most important concerns among them. The fact we mentioned inspired us to do the research about how Facebook impacts young refugees’ employment in Sweden.  In this paper, we chose a qualitative method including interviews and surveys from a small group that is representative of the larger population. This research conducted a semi-structured interview which consisted of a list of fixed questions that followed with open-end answers to help us to gain more data. The study result showed that most of the participants think Facebook is a useful tool to use for finding job information. We concluded five features used by participants for searching job information on Facebook which were search bar, Facebook groups, companies’ Facebook pages, the Job search feature on the Facebook menu, and social networking on Facebook. In conclusion, we observed that Facebook is playing a positive role in helping young refugees aged between 18-30 in Jönköping to gain job information. This research has been conducted in a limited range of young refugees aged 18-30 in Jönköping, Sweden. Therefore, further research from a broader range of participants might be a complement to this research. Moreover, it might provide additional knowledge if the further investigation shows how Facebook impacts differently on the young refugees who come to Sweden with family or friends, and unaccompanied young refugees.