A Survey On The Social Attraction Theory

According to the Social-Attraction theory, people are attracted to those they perceive to be similar to (Byrne, 1992). In this case, this theory suggests that immigrants will be seen by natives to be dissimilar in regards to ethnicity and language, which may negatively impact on their ability to secure employment. A survey conducted in New Zealand by Coates & Car (2005) revealed that selection preferences for job opportunities were influenced by an immigrant’s country of origin. To this effect, immigrants from Asia were more likely to be prejudiced or discriminated or less preferred for a job, as compared to immigrants from Europe, South Africa, and North America. Similarly, immigrants from South Africa were less likely to be preferred than immigrants from Europe and North America.

In Canada, migrant discrimination was found to extend to the level and pay of a particular job. According to Fang et al. (2013), most immigrants in the Canadian labour market are offered jobs via recruitment agencies. However these agencies often side with employers in reducing the chances for immigrants to access well-paying jobs. In most instances, Fang et al. (2013) note that the recruitment process is not transparent and is mainly inclined on favouring the needs of the employers. To this effect, most Canadian immigrants end up getting paid lower than natives, even though they may share the same job type (Fang et al., 2013).

Another theory that explains the liability of foreignness and how it disadvantages migrants is the Social Dominance theory. According to Coates & Carr (2005), preference for job opportunities in the context of the Social Dominance theory are based on which countries of origin are socially and economically dominant over the ot...

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...alent, countries from which talent emigrates often lose crucial skilled manpower, while those to which talent immigrates often gain this resource. A good example, is India, which according to the United Nations (2002), was experiencing a net loss on its investment in technical education, while exporting up to $2 billion to wealthier economies. However, the progression of globalization in relation to the labour market is not black and white. Migrants often face a lot of challenges in securing employment, which in the end results in brain waste (Mahroum, 2000). Nevertheless, it is possible for migrants to utilize social networks in realizing economic empowerment, which will decrease their overdependence on local jobs. The government too has a role in facilitating a favorable environment for migrants to explore economic opportunities through migrant-friendly policies.