Flexible Workplace and Social Integration of Immigrants

• In Event: 30225 - Changing Patterns of International Migration: Asian Perspectives

Abstract

While flexible working has been an increasingly prevalent arrangement in workplaces worldwide, it is unclear whether and how working from home and working without fixed workplaces are related to the social integration of immigrant workers. In this study, we compared immigrant workers with different working modes (i.e., working on-site, the flexible workplace, and working from home) in terms of their proficiency in their destination language, which is one of the key reflections of the integration outcome of immigrants. Using data from the 2016 and 2021 Population Census collected by the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong SAR, this study reveals a strong and positive relationship between working with flexible workplaces and immigrants’ proficiency in Cantonese which is the local language of Hong Kong. This relationship seems to be consistent among immigrants with different durations of staying in Hong Kong and immigrants moving to Hong Kong before or after their adulthoods.

Authors

• Yuyao Liu

• Eric Fong, University of Hong Kong