Skilled but stalled: Understanding disadvantages among highly skilled Indian migrants in Germany

Abstract

In Europe, highly skilled workers are often portrayed in discussions as easily integrating into a host society, which simultaneously suggests positive social mobility outcomes. This paper addresses the experiences of highly qualified Indian migrants in Germany. It highlights that labor-market integration and career development are much more complex and uneven than is often presented. It analyzes the ways in which valuation and state categorization at the systemic level, brokerage at the organizational level, and opportunity hoarding at the interactional level act as mechanisms that create and perpetuate drawbacks for foreign professionals. Finally, the paper underscores the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind varying outcomes among migrants and advocates addressing multi-level inequalities within highly skilled migrant communities.