Abstract
This chapter explores the phenomenon of occupational downgrading experiences of adult immigrants in the U.S. It starts with a brief history of immigration to the United States to point out salient events and movements that have created the current socio-political and economic landscape for immigration. Then, it zeroes in on the occupational downgrading phenomenon and how shapes immigrants' integration to the U.S. workforce, including barriers and challenges impacting their career experiences and development. These elements include racial discrimination, language barrier, lack of social networks, and transferability of skills. Finally, it offers recommendations for career development professionals and educators to address the current situation.
TopImmigration: A Historical Context
Little is more extraordinary than the decision to migrate, little more extraordinary than the accumulation of emotions and thoughts which finally leads a family to say farewell to a community where it has lived for centuries, to abandon old ties and familiar landmarks, and to sail across dark seas to a strange land. (John F. Kennedy, 1964)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Immigration: “The movement of people into a country” (DeSipio & de la Garza, 1998, p. 139).
English as a Second Language (ESL): “The teaching of English to speakers of other languages in contexts where there is the (or a) major medium of communication within the community” (Nunan, 2015, p. 187).
Occupational Downgrading: “The situation where an immigrant’s U.S. occupation is of a lower index level than his or her last occupation abroad. The index reflects the average education of individuals holding those positions” (Akresh, 2006, p. 2).
Occupational Mobility: “Defined in terms of class systems where a person belonging to a particular class, such as low, middle or upper, is determined by their education and occupation, and by other factors such as cultural and social interests” (Ressia, Strachan, & Bailey, 2017, p. 66).
Career Development: “Two sets of theories, of conceptual categories, one that explains the development of career behavior across the life span and the other that describes how career behavior is changed by particular interventions” (Herr, 2001, p. 196).
Discrimination: “The unequal treatment of a person or persons based on a group membership” (Healey, 2006, p. 27).