Alone together: The workplace integration of Polish labour migrants doing production work through a Dutch employment agency
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2025-06-25
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en
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This thesis explores the workplace integration of Polish labour migrants doing production work in the Netherlands through a Dutch employment agency. Despite being the largest labour migrant group and important to the Dutch labour market, their integration into the workplace community remains underexplored. The study aims to identify which factors influence migrants’ motivation to integrate. A mixed methods approach was used, combining a literature review with quantitative survey data from 80 Polish labour migrants, working mostly in the food and meat processing sector in Gelderland.
The research is focused on three domains: personal and external factors, expectations, and workplace culture. Findings reveal that human-cultural capital increases over time and influences their willingness to stay. While most respondents identify primarily with their Polish background, it does not hinder satisfaction with life in the Netherlands. Positive expectations, such as learning new skills and job satisfaction, predicted an increased motivation to stay and integrate. Regarding workplace culture, positive relationships between employees and a sense of belonging were linked to positive workplace experiences and a willingness to integrate.
This study highlights the multidimensionality of migrant integration into the workplace as a result of interconnected factors, depending on the individual’s efforts and surrounding workplace environment.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen