1.6.2015 university of iceland – department of history 1 immigrants in iceland – realities and...
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18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 1
Immigrants in Iceland – Realities and Political Discourses
Guðmundur Hálfdanarson
EURES Mobility Conference
Reykjavík, 22 June 2007
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 2
Immigration in Iceland – the historical context
• Traditionally a homogeneous nation– ethnic– religious– homogeneity and national construction
• Emigration rather than immigration• Last decade
– economic expansion– EEA and opening of the borders
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 3
Public Debates on Immigration
• Immigration and Politics– until 2006: immigration had
not been a major issue for any political party
– Ásgeir Hannes Eríksson – former member of parliament:
• interest in forming a “nationalist party”
• “Around one third of the Icelandic nation considers possible that they would vote for a party which opposes increased immigration to Iceland” (20 April 2006)
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 4
“Iceland for Icelanders?”
• … the flow of foreigners to Iceland is so great that it is impossible to document …
• 2015: 80 thousand foreigners in Iceland• “If I were Polish, I would not think twice before
I moved to Iceland. My words should not be understood so that I have anything against the Poles or other Christian people from our part of the world.”
• “We want to limit the access to our welfare society to Icelanders. We do not want to lose the control of the situation. I do not want to invite the brethren of Mohammed to Iceland who have their own laws and does not respect the minimum human rights and offend women. I do not want to allow groups of people who cause problems all over Europe to settle in Iceland.”
• “Do we accept that every fifth Icelander will not speak Icelandic in 2020? Know the history of the nation! We are like a small grain of sand in the sea of nations, and the independent Icelandic nation and Icelandic culture has never faced as great threat as it does at the moment. It is our role to choose the way forward. For Iceland and Icelanders.”
Jón Magnússon, 1 Nov. 2006
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 5
The Icelandic Discourse on Immigration – some recurrent themes
• I really like this hardworking people … that is as long as they are from our part of the world
• I would like to limit the immigration flow to Iceland because Icelandic employers treat them so badly …
• “We” will drown if nothing is done to limit the immigration• The need for immigrant labor could be reduced if the
participation of the elderly and handicapped in the labor market would be facilitated
• The parliament should have prolonged the limits on the free flow of immigrants from the new EU countries in 2004– the authorities should guide the immigration
• The only political party to support these opinions was the Liberal Party
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 6
Immigrants in Iceland, 1950-2006
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Foreign citizens (N) Born abroad (N)
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 7
Foreigners in Iceland as a Proportion of the Total Population, 1950-2006
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Foreign citizens Born abroad
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 8
Nationality of Immigrants 1995-2006 – selected years and regions
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Nordic Countries Baltic Countries The Philippines Poland Thailand
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 9
The Age of Immigrants
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Age
%
Total populations Poles
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 10
Unemployment and Number of Employed 1991-2006
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
180000
1990 1995 2000 2005
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Number of employed Unemployment (%)
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 11
Immigrants and the Icelandic Economy
• The overwhelming majority of the immigrants comes to seek employment
• The overwhelming majority of the immigrants comes from the EU
• Immigration has not led to increased unemployment• The variation in the number of immigrants reflects the
instability in the Icelandic economy• The Icelandic economy would have collapsed in the
last few years if the immigration have not increased– there are no economic reasons to oppose immigration
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 12
Is Opposition to Immigration Popular?
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Ele
ction
s 03
Ma
rch 0
6
Ap
ril 06
Ma
y 06
Jun
e 0
6
July 0
6
Au
gu
st 06
Se
p 0
6
Oct 0
6
No
v 06
De
c 06
Ele
ction
s 07
%
Support for Lib Party
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 13
Immigration and the Icelandic Politics
• The discussion is reflects fear and prejudices– “arguments” against immigration are absolutely “irrational”
• the situation is very different from the other Nordic countries– opposition against immigration does not need rational arguments
• The conditions for populist right-wing nationalism are good– widespread opposition to immigration at times when it has no
economic foundation• increased competition on the labor market will increase the tension
– Icelandic political parties have been hesitant to use the latent opposition to immigration
• but the authorities have used the tools they have to impede all non-European immigration
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 14
Proportion of Legal Residents in the Nordic Countries Born Abroad
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 15
Where do the Immigrants Come from? (1 Jan. 2006)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden
Europe Africa Asia Other
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 16
The Origins of Nordic Immigrants – selected countries (N)
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden
Turkey Iran/Iraq Somalia
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 17
The Origins of Nordic Immigrants – selected countries (proportion of all born abroad)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden
Turkey Iran/Iraq Somalia
18.04.23 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 18
Conclusions
• In a few years, Iceland has become a multi-cultural society• The immigration is a response to high demand for labor• There is latent opposition to immigration in Iceland
– limited political desire to use this opposition• The authorities have been extremely selective in their
immigration policy– the “multi”-cultural society is not as “multi” as it would be with more
open borders• The Liberal Party was accused of running racist agenda
– but are they the only guilty party?