Name changers’ experience in the Swedish labor market

Abstract

Ethnicity, race, name, and several other factors can determine whether an individual enter the labor market or not. Ethnic minorities and immigrants are discriminated in employment process and therefore immigrants in some Western countries change their names to Western-sounding names in order to tackle labor market discrimination. This name change strategy for instance has worked for immigrants in Sweden and they have been successful to enter labor market after changing name to a Swedish-sounding name. This study aims to examine the perceptions of discrimination of name changers in their workplace after their name change; how name changers perceive that they are treated in their workplace after changing their names to Swedish-sounding names. Whether they perceive that they are treated as in-group (Us, Swedes) or out-group (Other/Them, Immigrants) in their workplace.Orientalism, Unconscious bias theory, and Subtle discrimination theory are used throughout the study, along with a case study research design. The research is done descriptively, and data is gathered through qualitative semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that name changers perceive that; 1) name change does not have any positive effect at all and it is competence and work experience which counts, 2) name change has a positive effect on tackling subtle forms of discrimination, 3) name changers did not experience subtle forms discrimination but they do not know if name changing was the reason and had a positive effect and, 4) name change does not have any positive effect and it is ethnicity, skin color, one’s background and language that Ethnicity, race, name, and several other factors can determine whether an individual enter the labor market or not. Ethnic minorities and immigrants are discriminated in employment process and therefore immigrants in some Western countries change their names to Western-sounding names in order to tackle labor market discrimination. This name change strategy for instance has worked for immigrants in Sweden and they have been successful to enter labor market after changing name to a Swedish-sounding name. This study aims to examine the perceptions of discrimination of name changers in their workplace after their name change; how name changers perceive that they are treated in their workplace after changing their names to Swedish-sounding names. Whether they perceive that they are treated as in-group (Us, Swedes) or out-group (Other/Them, Immigrants) in their workplace. Orientalism, Unconscious bias theory, and Subtle discrimination theory are used throughout the study, along with a case study research design. The research is done descriptively, and data is gathered through qualitative semi-structured interviews. The results suggest that name changers perceive that; 1) name change does not have any positive effect at all and it is competence and work experience which counts, 2) name change has a positive effect on tackling subtle forms of discrimination, 3) name changers did not experience subtle forms discrimination but they do not know if name changing was the reason and had a positive effect and, 4) name change does not have any positive effect and it is ethnicity, skin color, one’s background and language that determines which group one belongsdetermines which group one belongs.