Cover not available

Article published In: Discourses on Racism and Resilience: Between power and resistance
Edited by Marjo Lindroth, Heidi Sinevaara-Niskanen and Claes Tängh Wrangel
[Journal of Language and Politics 25:2] 2026
► pp. 257–274

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

Resilience in labour markets, a curse?

The prolonged cycle of resilience among highly skilled black Africans in Finland

ORCiD logo with link | University of Lapland
Published online: 3 February 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.25094.ojw
Abstract
Resilience is promoted as a positive virtue for adaptation to changes that need perseverance to new conditions, often worse. However, highly-skilled immigrants — especially from Sub Sahara Africa –seeking employment in Finland experience a prolonged and uncertain cycle of new demands for resilience. By drawing on research interviews with highly-skilled black Africans, the article illuminates the negative aspects of resilience for negatively racialised immigrants in the global North. The findings of the thematic analysis bring forth the how skilled jobseekers understand, navigate, and give meaning to the resilience demanded of them as the Finnish labour markets keep shifting goal posts and adding barriers of exclusion and precarity. Accordingly, resilience can further and uphold injustice and for those having to perform resilience it can become a curse, antithetical to positive change.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Understanding the Finnish labour market
  • 3.Research material and methods
  • 4.Experiences of highly skilled African migrants
    • 4.1Resilience as an endless roller-coaster
    • 4.2Resilience, discrimination and unattainable cultural fitness
  • 5.Acquiescence bias and the social injustice of resilience
  • 6.Conclusions
  • References
References (76)
References
ACLU. 2023. “White Supremacy Is Fueling Extreme Anti-Immigrant Policy in Texas.” American Civil Liberties Union. Accessed January 30, 2024. [URL]
Ahmad, Ali. 2020. “When the Name Matters: An Experimental Investigation of Ethnic Discrimination in the Finnish Labor Market.” Blackwell Publishing, 468–96. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Anglé, Julia. 2014. “‘It’s So Cold and Impossible to Make Friends’: Challenges of Multicultural Relationships in Finland.” Journal of Human Sciences, 1198–1211. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Arnold, Rick, Michael Burke, Carl James, D’Arcy Martin, and Barb Thomas. 1991. Educating for Change. Toronto: Doris Marshall Institute for Education and Action.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Beaverstock, Jonathan V. 2011. “Servicing British Expatriate ‘Talent’ in Singapore: Exploring Ordinary Transnationalism and the Role of the ‘Expatriate’ Club.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 709–28. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Borg, Anika. 2012. “Europeanising Labour Migration Policies and Pursuing National Objectives.” Policy Brief. Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brekke, Idunn. 2008. Like Muligheter? Betydningen av Etnisk Bakgrunn for Sysselsetting og Inntekt. PhD diss., University of Oslo, Department of Sociology and Human Geography.
Cavelty, Myriam Dunn, and Matthias Kaufmann. 2020. “Cyber Security Meets Security Politics: Complex Technology, Fragmented Politics, and Networked Science.” Contemporary Security Policy 41 (1): 5–32. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chen, I-Chun, and Takao Hiramatsu. 2022. “Skill Choice, Brain Drain, and Variety of Goods: Innovation in the Core–Periphery Model.” Migration Letters 19 (1): 55–66.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Collins, Patricia Hill. 2008. Distinguishing Features of Black Feminist Thought. London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Crenshaw, Kimberlé. 2018. “Intersectionality Power Flower.” Accessed January 20, 2024. [URL]
Denise, Susan L., and Richard P. Brief. 2001. “Applicant Race, Job Status, and Racial Attitudes as Predictors of Employment Discrimination.” Journal of Business and Psychology 16 (2): 259–275. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Depo, Gabriella, Mirka K. Niemi, and Vesa Pitkänen. 2022. Building Academics’ Societal Impact: Survey Results. Helsinki: E2 Tutkimus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
EEB (European Environmental Bureau). 2016. “The Finland We Want by 2050 — Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development.” Accessed January 31, 2024. [URL]
Evans, Brad, and Julian Reid. 2014. Resilient Life: The Art of Living Dangerously. Cambridge: Polity.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fairclough, Norman. 2003. Analysing Discourse. London: Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fernandez, Roberto M., and Brian Rubineau. 2019. “Network Recruitment and the Glass Ceiling: Evidence from Two Firms.” The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 5 (3): 88–102. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Findlay, Allan M. 1996. “Skilled Transients: The Invisible Phenomenon.” In Cambridge Survey of World Migration, 515–22.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Finnish Government. 2021. Valtioneuvosto. Accessed November 20, 2024. [URL]
Fossland, Trine. 2012. “Highly Skilled Migration in the Urban Arctic: A Norwegian Case Study on Skilled Migrant Labour Market Integration.” Polar Record 48 (4): 254–258. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gomathi, C., A. Ramaseshacharyulu, S. Sarath, and A. S. Sreekanth. 2022. “Overview of Recruitment and Selection Process in HRM.” International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management 6 (6): 1–6.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Heikkilä, Elli, and Mauno Pikkarainen. 2006. “Employment of Immigrants in the Finnish Labour Markets.” In Migration, Mobility and Human Rights at the Eastern Border of the European Union: Space of Freedom and Security.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Helsinki Times. 2019. “Many Somali Speakers in Finland Have No Finnish Friends, Finds Survey.” Accessed February 1, 2024. [URL]
. 2023. “Study: Finland Is Perceived as One of the Most Racist Countries in EU.” Accessed January 31, 2024. [URL]
Hervé, Quentin. 2009. “Trends in Occupational Segregation by Race and Ethnicity in the USA: Evidence from Detailed Data.” Applied Economics Letters, 1347–50.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hongisto, Satu-Kaarina. 2024. “Phenomena.” [URL]
ILO (International Labour Organization). 2016. Accessed January 2023. [URL]
Irastorza, Nahikari, and Pieter Bevelander. 2021. “Skilled Migrants in the Swedish Labour Market: An Analysis of Employment, Income and Occupational Status.” Sustainability. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Johansson, Bengt, Øyvind Ihlen, Johan Lindholm, and Mark Blach-Ørsten. 2023. Communicating a Pandemic: Crisis Management and COVID-19 in the Nordic Countries. Gothenburg: Nordicom.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Joseph, Jonathan. 2013. “Resilience as Embedded Neoliberalism: A Governmentality Approach.” Resilience: International Policies, Practices and Discourses 1 (1): 38–52. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kaplan, Robert D. 1996. The Ends of the Earth: A Journey at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century. New York: Random House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kaplan, Caren P., Sherry Turner, Elizabeth Norman, and Kendra Stillson. 1996. “Promoting Resilience Strategies: A Modified Consultation Model.” Children and Schools, 158–68. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kefferputz, Katinka. 2010. European Commission. Accessed September 20, 2024. [URL]
Khan, Javed, Olivier Maury, and Qadir Ndomo. 2021. “Why Does Finland Seek Talent from Abroad but Neglect Highly Skilled Foreigners in the Country?” Raster.fi. Accessed January 10, 2024. [URL]
Kofman, Eleonore. 2000. “The Invisibility of Skilled Female Migrants and Gender Relations in Studies of Skilled Migration in Europe.” International Journal of Population Geography. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Koivunen, Tuija, Hanna Ylöstalo, and Kirsi Otonkorpi-Lehtoranta. 2015. “Informal Practices of Inequality in Recruitment in Finland.” Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies 5 (3): 3–21. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kotavaara, Niko, and Eeva-Kaisa Prokkola. 2023. “Role of Social Ties in Long-Term Settlement of Highly Skilled Migrants in Finland.” Migration Letters, 88–96. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lancee, Bram. 2021. “Ethnic Discrimination in Hiring: Comparing Groups Across Contexts.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 1181–1200. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lillie, Nathan. 2016. “The Right Not to Have Rights: Posted Worker Acquiescence and the European Union Labor Rights Framework.” Theoretical Inquiries in Law, 39–62. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lindroth, Marjo, and Heidi Sinevaara-Niskanen. 2019. “Colonialism Invigorated? The Manufacture of Resilient Indigeneity.” Resilience: International Policies, Practices and Discourses, 240–54. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maume, David. 1999. “Glass Ceilings and Glass Escalators: Occupational Segregation and Race and Sex Differences in Managerial Promotions.” Work and Occupations, 483–509. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MFA Ukraine. 2022. Twitter post, March 1, 2022. [URL]
Miles, Robert, and Malcolm Brown. 2003. Racism. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. 2021. “Language Requirements and Prejudice Hinder Recruiting Immigrants.” Lehti. Accessed January 13, 2024. [URL]
. 2023. “Talent Boost.” Government of Finland. Accessed January 13, 2024. [URL]
Ministry of Employment and Economy. 2021. “Talent Boost Summit 2021.” YouTube video. Accessed January 29, 2024. [URL]
Ministry of Justice. 2014. Finlex. Accessed January 29, 2024. [URL]
. 2021. Discrimination in Finland 2017–2019. Helsinki: Ministry of Justice.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Moore, Fiona. 2022. “Recruitment and Selection.” In International Human Resource Management: Globalization, National Systems and Multi-National Companies, 208–29. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Nash, Manning. 1964. The City University of New York. Accessed January 30, 2024. [URL]
Naylor, Ruth, et al. 2021. “Structural Inequality in Refugee Participation in Higher Education.” Journal of Refugee Studies, 2142–58. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ndomo, Qadir. 2024. The Working Underclass: Highly Educated Migrants on the Fringes of the Finnish Labour Market. Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ndomo, Qadir, and Nathan Lillie. 2023. “Resistance Is Useless! (And So Are Resilience and Reworking): Migrants in the Finnish Labour Market.” In IMISCOE Research, 161–84. Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Negin, Golnaz, and Anne L. Pickering. 2012. “An Intersectional Analysis of Gender and Ethnic Stereotypes: Testing Three Hypotheses.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, 113–27.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
O’Malley, Pat. 2010. “Resilient Subjects: Uncertainty, Warfare and Liberalism.” Economy and Society, 488–509. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ostling, Anna. 2013. An Overview of Highly Skilled Labour Migration in Denmark with a Focus on Indian Nationals. San Domenico di Fiesole: European University Institute.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ozyilmaz, A., et al. 2022. “The Impact of Refugees on Income Inequality in Developing Countries: A Quantile Regression Approach.” Sustainability 14 (15): 9223. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Philip, Moss, and Chris Tilly. 2003. Stories Employers Tell: Race, Skill, and Hiring in America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pinder, Craig C., and Karen P. Harlos. 2001. “Employee Silence: Quiescence and Acquiescence as Responses to Perceived Injustice.” In Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 331–69. Leeds: Emerald. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pitkänen, Vesa, Mervi Välimäki, and Mari K. Niemi. 2022. Ulkomaalaiset Osaajat Suomessa: Työelämä, Arki ja Osallisuus. Helsinki: E2 Tutkimus.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Riemsdijk, Micheline van, and Maria R. Cook. 2013. International Talent Recruitment to Norway: Opportunities, Challenges, and Lived Experiences of Skilled Migrants. Oslo: Allkopi AS.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Riley, Kathryn C., Bernard C. Perley, Ignacio M. García-Sánchez, and Li Wei. 2024. Language and Social Justice: Global Perspectives. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sassen, Saskia. 1991. The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2001. The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. Revised ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Smith, Jonathan A., and Monica Fieldsend. 2021. “Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.” In Qualitative Research in Psychology, 147–66. American Psychological Association.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Solorzano, Daniel, Miguel Ceja, and Tara J. Yosso. 2000. “Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate: Experiences of African American College Students.” Journal of Negro Education, 60–73.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sonali. 2023. “Headhunting and Recruitment in the Nordic Countries.” Inhunt World. Accessed January 13, 2024. [URL]
Tate, William F. 1997. “Postmodern Legal Movements: Law and Jurisprudence at Century’s End.” Review of Research in Education 231: 167–186. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tesfai, R., and K. J. A. Thomas. 2020. “Dimensions of Inequality: Black Immigrants’ Occupational Segregation in the United States.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 1–21. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tugade, Michele M., and Barbara L. Fredrickson. 2004. “Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back from Negative Emotional Experiences.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 320–33. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
University of Lapland, Ethics Committee. n.d. Ethical Guidelines for Research at the University of Lapland. Rovaniemi: University of Lapland.
University of Turku. 2023. “The Hidden Job Market.” Accessed February 1, 2024. [URL]
Waite, Laura, and Helen Lewis. 2017. “Precarious Irregular Migrants and Their Sharing Economies: A Spectrum of Transactional Laboring Experiences.” Annals of the American Association of Geographers 107 (4): 964–978. .Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Williams, Allan M., and Vladimír Baláž. 2008. International Migration and Knowledge. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yle News. 2021. “Union Report: Migrants Suffer Lower Pay, Prejudice, Discrimination in Finland.” September 24, 2021. [URL]
Yle. 2022. All Points North. Accessed February 1, 2024. [URL]
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue