Labor Integration in Rural Norway : What are the main barriers to refugees accessing employment in small Norwegian municipalities?

Abstract

Recent figures of people seeking refuge have been unprecedented in history. As the number of refugees has increased, so have the debates about their integration in the host countries, particularly their integration into host countries’ labor markets. Despite ample research in the field of labor integration of refugees, the need for further research, especially in rural contexts, has been evident in the literature. Therefore, in the form of a master’s thesis, this qualitative study was conducted to investigate the main barriers to refugees’ labor integration in rural Norway, specifically in a small-sized remote municipality in Southern Norway. Twenty refugees, four potential employers, a policy implementer, and an NGO representative were interviewed in a semi-structured setting, and their interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a mixed technique of coding and thematic analysis.