Skilled migrant hiring and selection: organisations’ challenges in embracing diversity in recruitment

Abstract

PurposeThis paper used Zikic’s (2015) integrated framework for managing diversity to review the skilled migrant literature and explore reasons non-English-speaking background (NESB) skilled migrants (SMs) are disadvantaged in the host country recruitment market. This research examines organisations’ role in attracting and facilitating the entry of NESB SMs to their organisations and embracing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a systematic literature review following the integrated framework combining the intelligent career theory and the resource-based view. This framework allows the exploration of the challenges NESB SMs face with their career capital in the host country concerning the people management systems and processes organisations often use in recruitment.FindingsThis review revealed multiple challenges NESB SMs face when negotiating their workplace transition in the host country destinations. The study shows that the underutilisation and underemployment among NESB SMs are partly caused by these SMs’ foreign experiences but mainly by the host countries’ “NESB SM-unfriendly” recruitment practices. It also uncovers gaps between macro, meso and micro levels in SM recruitment.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation inherent in a systematic literature review is that the effectiveness of the search is contingent upon the quality of the search strings used. Second, the core themes in the synthesis were identified following Zikic’s (2015) integrated framework and focused only on individual/micro factors of SMs and meso/organisational factors. Many other structural and contextual factors were not included in the review. This review is also limited to NESB SMs’ recruitment. Nonetheless, this process helps us achieve the core aim set for this review, to explore the reasons behind the hardships NESB SMs face when searching for ways to enter the host professional job market and the role of organisations in attracting and facilitating NESB SMs’ labour market entry.Originality/valueThis research connected NESB SMs’ micro-level difficulties to the meso layer of organisations’ HRM policies. This review clarified the role of organisational strategic HRM in attracting and welcoming NESB SMs into their organisation before leveraging their career diversity. The findings from the review also assisted in extending Zikic’s (2015) integrated framework.