Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has left its unprecedented footprints and aftershocks on every aspect of human endeavour, including labour on the move. Against this backdrop, this study aims at providing an extensive comprehension of the footprints of COVID-19 predicament on migrants, refugees and asylum seekers’ (MRAs) lives, work and labour market incorporation experiences in Finland. The study adopted the subtle biographic narrative interviews with MRAs. The findings, though mixed, reveal deepening inequality and insecurity in the labour market of Finland for migrants. Conversely, self-learning, virtual learning, manifestation of hidden talents, development of new hobbies and transferable skills, as well as new healthier lifestyles for MRAs were apparent in the findings. The analysis of the study can serve as both an authentic empirical knowledge to guide migrants’ populations and a reference source for academic purposes; the latter can negotiate the impact of disruptive events and sudden crisis on migrant populations, whose unique circumstances and characteristics require inclusive policies and strategies. The study made original and valuable insights into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants as a significant group in the labour market architecture, however, vulnerable one in terms of precarious work, implying that pandemics and similar eventualities call for (re)designing considerable support systems and extending them to MRAs.

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