Immigrants' Job Expectations: A Study of What Predicts Immigrants' Job Expectations after Completing Language Training Programmes

The overall aim was to identify predictors of adult immigrant students' job expectations after they have finished the language training program. We studied both socio-demographic predictors (sex,family status, socio-economic status, and level of education) and experience predictors (age at arrival, teacher, and language exposure). To get a more in-depth understanding of immigrants' job expectations, we also studied the following predictors: having had a job in the home country and in the host country. Using survey data collected from 187 adult immigrants participating in the Swedish-language-training program (SFI), we conducted ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regressions. We found that the majority of immigrant students have high job expectations and that age at arrival and level of education predicted job expectations. In addition, we found that student sex predicts having had a job in the home country but did not affect job expectations in the host country. The study has implications on how we organise inclusive education for adults in Swedish education and hence build an inclusive society throughout one's life course.