Previous Swedish studies show that, due to stigmatization and discrimination, immigrants occupy inferior positions in the labor market. This article investigates the extent to which natives and immigrants perceive discrimination of immigrants establishes the discrepancy between concrete and abstract attitudes about discrimination, and evaluates the assimilation hypothesis and the consciousness hypothesis as alternative explanations of perceived discrimination by immigrants. Data for this study came from a survey of individuals employed by the Malmö municipality. The results show that, concerning abstract attitudes, natives hold largely the same opinion about discrimination against immigrants as do immigrants themselves, and that there is a significant difference between concrete and abstract perceptions of discrimination among natives and immigrants. But immigrants embrace stronger positions than do natives on the prevalence of discrimination in the workplace. With one exception, our results tend to be more in line with the consciousness perspective. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Perceptions of discrimination Labor market immigrants

perception Acculturation immigrant Eurasia recruitment (employment) Scandinavia labor market Europe Northern Europe racism public attitude Sweden workplace