How Diversity Matters in Working Life: A Literature Review in a Finnish Context

Abstract

Diversity in working life has numerous impacts, which are studied in different disciplines. This review article summarises the academic discussion of ethnic diversity in Finnish working life from three perspectives – of immigrant-background employees, their Finnish co-workers, and employers – intending to explore how cultural diversity matters and articulate its implications. This is achieved via a literature review with content analysis. In the corpus, diversity per se is not defined; instead, it is connected with issues of inclusion, cultural distances, or discrimination in the workplace. To find significant gaps in the up-to-date literature, the authors approach immigrants without any particular definition, despite the fact that migrants comprise such a diverse and heterogeneous group. In addition, the analysis revealed that interaction and relations with co-workers need further study. The primary outcomes identified that the employer perspective in the context of structural and societal interpretation is largely absent from Finnish research. Also, further research is needed on how the second generation of immigrants negotiates their transition from education to employment and on trust relations between minority groups in the Finnish labour market.