New Research Project: Engagement of the Diaspora in Private Sector Employment in Migrant Countries of Origin

Project Name Engagement of the Diaspora in Private Sector Employment in Migrant Countries of Origin
Outline Commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice through the Repatriation and Departure Service, this project examines the concept of diaspora work placements, the recruitment of migrants and their descendants by multinational companies in the country of residence for placement in company offices in a migrant or diaspora member’s country of (ancestral) origin. While much of the literature on the role of return migrants and diaspora members in the private sector in their countries of origin or ancestry has focused on the role of such mobile populations as investors or entrepreneurs, their role as employees has been less well explored. This research explicitly focuses on the advantages companies perceive in hiring migrants/diaspora members for international work placements, the current mechanisms by which diaspora work placements are made, and the factors that would encourage or facilitate large, multinational companies to engage with migrant/diaspora populations in international work placements. The project has approached this topic through desk review of the global academic and grey literature on international and diaspora work placements complemented by in-depth interviews with a select group of large, multinational companies based in the Netherlands.
Output This research has resulted in a diagnostic report that addresses current global experiences related to diaspora work placements, the practises of large Dutch multinational companies related to such international placements, and recommendations of how the private sector can be better facilitated to engage in such practises.
Keywords Intracorporate transfer; private sector; diaspora; skilled mobility
Contact Details Michaella Vanore (michaella.vanore@maastrichtuniversity.nl)