Research grant to support workplace inclusion of migrants in Italy

An OU academic is researching the experiences of migrants in the workplace in the Aosta Valley region in Italy, an area with an increasing migrant and refugee population.

Dr Cinzia Priola, Senior Lecturer in Organization Studies at the OU’s Faculty of Business and Law, is one of the co-investigators for a project funded by the CRT Foundation in Torino to investigate the practices and experiences of workplace inclusion of migrants in the Aosta Valley region in Italy.

 The €25,000 project is being led by the University of Aosta Valley which came about due to a virtual visiting professorship Dr Priola held at the University of Aosta Valley earlier this year.

This 12-month project, which will begin in December, will explore:

• the initiatives taken by the region to include migrants in work
• how migrants themselves and how employers view workplace inclusion
• the measures that can be implemented to tackle exclusion of migrants in the workplace

Dr Priola said:

“This research is important as it is embedded within the specific regional territory and addresses an issue that has repercussions on social integration. Italy and the Aosta Valley region have seen a significant increase in the migrant and refugee population in the last 10 years and there remain several problems related to their work and social integration.

“Migrants coming from countries outside the EU are segregated in low-paid and precarious jobs and often live in substandard accommodations. The research hopes to provide some suggestions for employers and organisations who want to support their inclusion.”

Find out more about OU research in the Faculty of Business and Law