Perceptions of one’s capability to obtain employment, to change or keep one’s job – i.e. employability perceptions – are important assets in our flexible working life (Berntson, 2008). Present day society is strongly influenced by neoliberalism, in which people are regarded as free and transferable individuals, with the capacity to make their own decisions on all aspects of education, work and career (e.g., Davies et al., 2005; Gazso, 2007). Evaluations of potential employees should be based on qualifications and competences, not attributes such as cultural background, gender and ethnicity. Hence, this entails at least superficially a belief in the equal treatment of all employees, and individual responsibility for successful navigation through the labour market. However, norms, presuppositions and contradictions within neoliberal discourses point towards inequality (c.f. Allen et al., 2013; Calas & Smircich, 2006; Kusterer, 2014), and masculine ideals linked to a white, heterosexual normality pervade (e.g., Holgersson, 2003; Mählck, 2012).

The present study aims to explore constructions and reformulations of migrants’ employability, as well as recommendations and prescriptions of how newly arrived migrants should succeed in entering the Swedish labour market. Public documents comprising employability and associated concepts such as competence building and career development are being collected. In order to understand how these concepts are communicated to migrants, we examine information to newly arrived migrants regarding introductory activities and programmes to increase employability. Tentative results demonstrate that although it is assumed that migrants largely lack Swedish language skills, information written in Swedish is often more elaborate than translated versions. The construction of the employable individual builds on tacit assumptions concerning the ability to bring forward required psychological and human capital, in order to appear desirable to potential employers. It seems crucial to be able to measure and verify required competencies and experiences, and perhaps more importantly to work on how you come across to others. Individual employability can thus be constructed as a form of marketing strategy (c.f. Fejes, 2009). Contradictions and shifts between a neoliberal discourse and a social welfare discourse are also noticeable. These shifts could be debilitating for the migrants’ pursuits towards increased employability and career continuance.