Good workers, good firms? Rural SMEs legitimising immigrant workforce: Fid-Bau Portal

Good workers, good firms? Rural SMEs legitimising immigrant workforce

Lähdesmäki, Merja / Suutari, Timo

Abstract The workforce potential offered by immigrants is perceived as one solution for the sustainable operation of many rural companies. Still, diversifying the workforce and recruiting immigrant employees represents not only a significant organizational change for rural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but can also reflect on their legitimacy in the eyes of the local community. In this study, we examine the legitimation strategies rural SMEs use in order to justify the decision to employ immigrant workers as socially accepted. The theoretical framework builds on the discussion concerning legitimacy and legitimation. By analysing the interviews with the representatives of 35 rural SMEs, we identified three legitimation strategies used to justify the decision to recruit immigrants, based on owner-managerial values, immigrants as good workers and the economic, demographic and social context consequent upon rural location. The aim of the legitimacy strategies is to convince rural community members in perceiving the recruitment of immigrant employees as favourable and preferable. Our study demonstrates that for rural SMEs, recruiting immigrant workers is not just an economic or bureaucratic procedure but entails social aspects as well. These social aspects need to be taken into consideration in order to maintain the business legitimacy.

Highlights • The workforce potential offered by immigrants is a solution for ensuring the sustainable operation of many rural companies. • Recruiting immigrant employees can reflect on the legitimacy of rural SMEs in the eyes of the local community. • We examine the legitimation strategies rural SMEs use to justify the decision to employ immigrant workers. • Legitimacy strategies aim to convince rural community in perceiving the recruitment of immigrants as socially acceptable. • For rural SMEs, recruiting immigrants is not just an economic or bureaucratic procedure but entails social aspects as well.