Malmö Somalis suffer integration 'black hole'
Somali immigrants in Malmö are "stuck in a trap" due to a dire local job market, creating overcrowding and low self-confidence, a new report said on Friday. Researchers urged city hall, and pensioners, to address the problem.
The Open Society Foundation published the report as part of a broader look at the Somali diaspora in Europe. It found that 80 percent of Somalis in Sweden's third largest city are out of work.
"Somalis are falling into a black hole in Malmö because they can't get jobs," report author Benny Carlsson of the Lund School of Economics and Management at Lund University told The Local. "(They don't get) opportunities to practice Swedish and meet Swedes, and are forced to live in crowded flats."
The situation fostered, Carlsson said, a "diminished overall sense of self-worth". . . .
Lund researcher Carlsson went a step further, saying that not only city hall but the man on the street could help out. Especially the old man on the street. Getting Sweden's burgeoning population of retired baby boomers to do volunteer work could do just the trick, he argued.
"They've had good careers, are well-connected, know how things work, and have a lot more time on their hands," Carlsson said. "They don't just want to play golf, but are still interested in being engaged. Helping immigrants could be a great win-win volunteer opportunity."
Even a bit of less formal socializing could go a long way, he added.
"It's a common view among Somalis that Swedes are polite and friendly, but they are hard to get to know," he said. "If you have Somali neighbours, invite them to dinner."
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