The cross-sectional interview data on immigrant economic adaptation in Finland

The qualitative interview data were gathered during 2016–2017 in Finland in order to investigate the connection between the labour market position of immigrants and their well-being and livelihood as well as the significance of economic adaptation to their overall acculturation to the new society. The data were collected under the Occupational Restructuring Challenges Competencies research project funded by the Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland (project number 303536). A total of 41 immigrants (aged 19–64) from various educational backgrounds were interviewed. The data include interviews with five groups based on their country of origin or the reason behind their migration. The groups are immigrants from Western countries, immigrants from the area of the former Soviet Union, immigrants from Eastern Europe, and immigrants with refugee backgrounds who, at the time of the study, had lived in Finland for a longer period. The fifth group consists of well-educated Iraqis who had migrated to Finland recently as asylum seekers and were granted asylum or subsidiary protection in Finland. Although the representatives of these five groups had resided in Finland for different lengths of time, they all had gained at least some experience of labour market integration in Finland. The interviewees were recruited from various events targeted at immigrants, with the help of immigrant-oriented foundations and personal contacts, as well as by using the snowball sampling technique. The data were collected by conducting semi-structured individual and focus group interviews. The structure of the interviews somewhat varied according to the labour market status (employed, inadequately employed or unemployed) of the interviewees. The data describe, e.g., the participants' experiences of their psychological, socio-psychological, socio-cultural and economic adaptation in Finland, particularly how challenges in finding work and other employment related difficulties faced in Finland had affected their acculturation process. Moreover, the data describe their ways of making ends meet in Finland, their need for financial assistance and attitude towards take-up of social benefits, as well as their experiences of welfare traps.本研究于2016—2017年在芬兰收集质性访谈数据，旨在探讨移民劳动力市场地位与其福祉及生计之间的关联，以及经济适应对其融入新社会的整体文化适应（acculturation）的重要性。本数据采集自芬兰科学院战略研究委员会资助的“职业转型挑战与能力”研究项目（项目编号：303536）。本次访谈共纳入41名年龄介于19至64岁、具备不同教育背景的移民受访者。本次数据涵盖5类移民的访谈资料，分类依据为其原籍国或移民原因：西方国家籍移民、前苏联地区移民、东欧移民，以及研究开展时已在芬兰长期居住的难民背景移民；第五类则为近期以寻求庇护者身份移居芬兰，并在芬兰获得庇护或附属保护身份的高学历伊拉克移民。尽管上述5类移民在芬兰的居住时长各不相同，但所有受访者均已在芬兰拥有至少一段劳动力市场融入经历。受访者招募渠道包括各类面向移民的活动、移民导向型基金会协助、个人人脉关系，以及滚雪球抽样法。数据采集采用半结构化个人访谈与焦点小组访谈相结合的方式，访谈框架会根据受访者的劳动力市场处境（在职、就业不足或失业）进行适当调整。本数据集涵盖受访者在芬兰的心理适应、社会心理适应、社会文化适应与经济适应经历，尤其探讨了在芬兰求职困境及其他就业相关难题对其文化适应过程的影响。此外，数据还记录了受访者在芬兰维持生计的方式、对经济援助的需求、对申领社会福利的态度，以及其遭遇福利陷阱的经历。