Work Identity, Meaning, and Meaningfulness of Work in the Immigration Context

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to find evidence of empiric relations among work identity, meaning and meaningfulness of work in the immigration context. The method used was systematic literature review, adopting PRISMA recommendations. The following database has been consulted: Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, PsycInfo and Lilacs. Empiric articles available between 2010 and 2020 have been used, with work identity, meaning and meaningfulness of work, immigration and immigrant descriptors in Portuguese and English. Data was analyzed with thematic content analysis. Results show twenty-seven articles have been found. The created categories considered each construct separately, being three for work identity, two for meaning of work, and none for meaningfulness of work. The main conclusions were that work identity in a host country depends a lot of the environment characteristics, institutional recognition and social status, and on immigrant personal characteristics. In addition, the type of career favors or hinders redefinition of work identity.