Which employers have refugee employees—And which do not? Employer typologies developed through hierarchical cluster analyses

Abstract

Employers can be regarded as gatekeepers of jobs. They decide how to post vacancies, whom to recruit and whom to dismiss. In recent years, a growing body of research has highlighted the crucial role of employers in relation to labour market participation of disadvantaged groups. This article contributes to this research by exploring which types of employers have refugee employees-and which do not. We develop the typologies through hierarchical cluster analyses using a nationally representative survey of Danish workplaces.We find that the employers who have experiences with having refugee employees can be grouped into three based on their attitudes and preconceptions; knights, knaves and squires. Likewise, employers who have never had refugee employees can also be divided into three groups; aspiring knights, knights of fortune, and commoners. The groups differ in their attitudes and motivations for (not) having refugee employees. Our main contribution to the literature is the development of new nuanced employer typologies, and the finding that employers differ in their motivations for having, or not having, refugee employees.