1.6.2015 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 1 Immigrants in Iceland – Realities and Political Discourses Guðmundur Hálfdanarson EURES Mobility

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


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


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)


“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


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


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)


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


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


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


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 (%)


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


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


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


Proportion of Legal Residents in the Nordic Countries Born Abroad

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden


Where do the Immigrants Come from? (1 Jan. 2006)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80


Europe Africa Asia Other


The Origins of Nordic Immigrants – selected countries (N)

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000


Turkey Iran/Iraq Somalia


The Origins of Nordic Immigrants – selected countries (proportion of all born abroad)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14


Turkey Iran/Iraq Somalia


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?


Documents

1.6.2015 UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND – DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY 1 Immigrants in Iceland – Realities and Political Discourses Guðmundur Hálfdanarson EURES Mobility