What question did this study set out to answer?

The study explores how institutional structures create exploitative labour conditions for highly skilled international professionals, contradicting the view that only low-skilled workers are affected.

July 16, 2026Social SciencesOpen Access

Highly Skilled International Professionals in Exploitative Labour Regimes: How Conditional Entry, Legal Dependency, and Intersectional Wage Penalties Shape Migrant Labour Markets

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Authors

ANAna NestorovicVienna University of Economics and Business MCMarie-Therese Antoinette ClaesVienna University of Economics and Business

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Implication

This article examines exploitation in skilled migrant labour markets, revealing systemic inequalities among international professionals in Vienna, highlighting necessary reforms.

Key Points

The study explores how institutional structures create exploitative labour conditions for highly skilled international professionals, contradicting the view that only low-skilled workers are affected.
Conducted 42 semi-structured interviews with highly skilled international professionals and 17 expert interviews with Austrian labour market institutions and NGOs.
Utilized reflexive thematic analysis to interpret qualitative data and discover mechanisms of exploitation.
Examined frameworks like Social Identity Theory and Legal Consciousness to understand entry, wage-setting, and inequality.
Identified three mechanisms sustaining exploitation: conditional entry through foreign qualification downgrading, legal dependency limiting rights awareness, and intersectional wage penalties affecting women and non-nationals.
Showed that exploitative conditions arise from migration regimes rather than overt coercion, with migrants facing restricted mobility and economic compulsion.
Highlighted the need for policy reforms to integrate labour rights and legal protections with talent attraction strategies.

Cite This Study

Nestorovic et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a58752d2b46c88ba9ad0fb5 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070475

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July 16, 2026Social SciencesOpen Access

Highly Skilled International Professionals in Exploitative Labour Regimes: How Conditional Entry, Legal Dependency, and Intersectional Wage Penalties Shape Migrant Labour Markets

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

ANAna NestorovicVienna University of Economics and Business MCMarie-Therese Antoinette ClaesVienna University of Economics and Business

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

This article examines exploitation in skilled migrant labour markets, revealing systemic inequalities among international professionals in Vienna, highlighting necessary reforms.

Key Points

The study explores how institutional structures create exploitative labour conditions for highly skilled international professionals, contradicting the view that only low-skilled workers are affected.
Conducted 42 semi-structured interviews with highly skilled international professionals and 17 expert interviews with Austrian labour market institutions and NGOs.
Utilized reflexive thematic analysis to interpret qualitative data and discover mechanisms of exploitation.
Examined frameworks like Social Identity Theory and Legal Consciousness to understand entry, wage-setting, and inequality.
Identified three mechanisms sustaining exploitation: conditional entry through foreign qualification downgrading, legal dependency limiting rights awareness, and intersectional wage penalties affecting women and non-nationals.
Showed that exploitative conditions arise from migration regimes rather than overt coercion, with migrants facing restricted mobility and economic compulsion.
Highlighted the need for policy reforms to integrate labour rights and legal protections with talent attraction strategies.

Cite This Study

Nestorovic et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a58752d2b46c88ba9ad0fb5 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070475

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