{"product_id":"living-in-limbo","title":"Living in limbo","description":"The number of forced migrants in Europe during recent years is second to none in history. That said, according to the OECD (2016), in 2015 people of refugee background still formed a relatively small part of the estimated 4.8 million people who migrated permanently to OECD countries. Although the movement towards northern member states of the EU has decreased somewhat by the end of 2016, more forced migrants can be expected to come to Europe in the years to come. Consequently, to be able to constructively discuss both the potential and the needs of the newcomers, it is of utmost importance to gain an understanding of the phenomenon. \n\nThis study discusses the findings of a qualitative study of Englishspeaking skilled Iraqi asylum seekers (N = 22) arriving in Finland during 2015-2016. Iraq and Finland can be argued to be two countries with a vast cultural distance. The strong influence of Islam that permeates all aspects of life in Iraq, from politics to the private life behind closed doors, is almost unimaginable for Finns used to freedom of expression, keeping religious beliefs to themselves as an extremely private matter. These apparent differences aside, according to the results of the study, the future hopes and dreams of the participants reflected things that are very similar to those of Finns: finding work, getting married, raising a family and living a peaceful life. Unfortunately, in Finland, especially the visible minority groups are more often unemployed than other immigrant groups. The study discusses the aspirations that this privileged group of skilled Iraqi asylum seekers have regarding their future work life. The study also considers the possible challenges that the differences in the Finnish and Iraqi working cultures might pose to their future labour market integration.","brand":"Helsingin kaupungin tietokeskus","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":26557024927844,"sku":"9789523312340","price":22.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0048\/8207\/1652\/products\/9789523312340_63689_2048.jpg?v=1590846462","url":"https:\/\/suomalainen-test.myshopify.com\/products\/living-in-limbo","provider":"Suomalainen Test","version":"1.0","type":"link"}