Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2021-050/ Nordic countries have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has taken a substantial toll on economic growth and employment level. Immigrants may have been disproportionately affected, even though Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden already face serious challenges in integrating immigrants into their labour markets for several years. This report aims to make a contribution to further research into the consequences of the pandemic.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2022-021/# The number of people experiencing long-term unemployment also grew in all Nordic countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report documents and compares how immigrants have been affected by long-term unemployment and investigates which policies and initiatives policymakers implemented to support them.The report aims to answer the following research questions:Have immigrants in the Nordic countries been more likely to face long-term unemployment? How has the number of long-term unemployed immigrants developed and is it an ongoing challenge? Which national-level institutions and actors have been involved in supporting long-term unemployed immigrants and which policies and measures have been used? Which initiatives have been implemented to help long-term unemployed immigrants in finding new employment? What can we learn from these initiatives?

Norway’s foreign-born population has tripled since 2000, and the share of migrants among the population has seen one of the largest increases across the OECD, mostly driven by labour migration from EU countries. Most migrants from non-EU countries, in contrast, are refugees and their family members. High qualification levels and labour market participation of the native-born raise the question of an adequate benchmark for integration outcomes, especially for the low-educated refugees and their families.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2023-043/ The Nordic countries are facing labour shortages. Yet, integrating migrants into the labour market remains a challenge, especially for non-EU-born citizens and refugee women. Employers play a central role in supporting integration. This report explores Nordic employers' perceptions of hiring low-skilled migrants. It highlights motivations, benefits, and challenges based on literature and interviews.The employers in this study believe long-term advantages outweigh initial challenges. Benefits include access to a larger labour pool, and improved public image. Common challenges are legal hurdles, communication challenges and limited language skills.The study finds that reducing language requirements and collaborating with the public sector, NGOs and staffing agencies are effective strategies. And while wage subsidies positively impact employment, the awareness among employers is limited.

Relative to its population, Iceland experienced the largest inflow of immigrants over the past decade of any OECD country. Four out of five immigrants in Iceland have come from EU and EFTA countries, although there has been a recent increase in humanitarian arrivals. Employment rates are the highest in the OECD, for both men and women, reflecting the recent and labour market oriented nature of most immigration to Iceland. However, immigrants’ skills are often not well used, as witnessed by the high rate of formal overqualification. What is more, immigrants’ language skills are poor in international comparison and there is evidence of growing settlement of immigrants. Against this backdrop, Iceland is at a turning point in its integration framework, and seeks to develop a comprehensive integration policy for the first time. This review, the fifth in the series Working Together for Integration, provides an in depth analysis of the Icelandic integration system, highlighting its strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for improvement. Earlier reviews in this series looked at integration in Sweden (2016), Finland (2018), Norway (2022) and Flanders (2023).

The 2022 edition of International Migration Outlook analyses recent developments in migration movements and the labour market inclusion of immigrants in OECD countries. It also monitors recent policy changes in migration governance and integration in OECD countries.