(Im)Possible selves in the Swiss labour market: Temporalities, immigration regulations, and the production of precarious workers

Investigating refugees’ negotiation of professional possible selves

“…Participants were indeed aware of these factors (i.e., language proficiency, high educational requirements, type of permit, lack or nonrecognition of diploma, and lack of childcare solutions) and took them into account when thinking about their future career in Switzerland. Our research thus partly corroborates Stingl's (2021) findings, showing that refugees in Switzerland tend to rethink their career plans because of several obstacles, notably administrative. In this context, constructing a career plan seems then a complex reasoned choice (Robertson, 2015), as refugees must consider several external barriers and negotiate the most satisfying—or less dissatisfying—solutions for their career.…”

“…Refugees' complex trajectories are a reminder that time plays a major role in the resettlement process as there are a multitude of factors at play when constructing their career plans. In line with Stingl's (2021) call, we believe that longitudinal studies with refugees are needed to better grasp the complexity of their multiple transitions and their struggle to navigate long asylum procedures and to integrate into the host society. Moreover, interviewing refugee participants later in their resettlement process would probably allow them to express themselves more comfortably in the language of their host country and offer the possibility to retrospectively identify elements that have influenced their choices and trajectories.…”

“…Mkwananzi (2022) explored young Zimbabwean refugee women's perceptions of education and its contribution to their desired selves in South Africa. Stingl (2021) conducted biographical interviews to explore the possible selves and labor market outcomes of refugees in Switzerland. Her findings suggest that immigration regulations pressure refugees to use strategies of downsizing, postponing, and redirecting possible selves to reduce the gap between their dream jobs and their reality.…”

Faire du sur-place sans jamais pouvoir prendre place : l’interminable arrivée de jeunes maghrébins sans-papiers à Genève

“…À Genève, ces jeunes « clandestins maghrébins » occupent ponctuellement les colonnes de la presse locale. En 2012 par exemple, la Radio Télévision Suisse rapportait des chiffres de la police genevoise selon lesquels 300 à 400 jeunes maghrébins sans-papiers gonfleraient les statistiques sur les vols (à l'astuce, à l'arraché, dans les véhicules) (Rotter, 2016;Stingl, 2021), d'une expulsion (Griffiths, 2014;Khosravi, 2016). De l'autre côté, le « mal de vie » qui pousse ces jeunes maghrébins au départ serait lui-même associé au désoeuvrement (Mastrangelo, 2019).…”