This was a paper that I submitted for my class in “Research Methods” for the MSc, University of Oxford. We were asked to design and plan our thesis by comparing various research design methods to answer our research question. Specifically we were asked to do a qualitative design as an alternative to our usual quantitative methods. Final grade: 64
Summary:
The interview provided useful findings that would have not learned otherwise using quantitative methods and LinkedIn data:
•It is possible that unskilled labour may be underrepresented in the sample if LinkedIn is the sole source of information.
•In terms of out-migration, it seems that skilled migrants are more concerned about Brexit than those unskilled. Mr. A is fearful for his prospects despite his permanent role at the University, as his peers in the professional occupations have left the country; Meanwhile, his friends in the unskilled trades remained. This is supported by Mr. B’s comment that many “local sources” in the hospitality industry have stayed. Meanwhile in the transport sector, Mr. B also feels that Brexit is not a threat to his employment.
•In terms of in-migration, there seems to be dwindling numbers, at least in the unskilled category. Mr. B observed that the influx of candidates for domestic help has declined since the referendum, and mentioned that while demand for household help is high, there is no one to hire. Interestingly he also notices a new trend: in-migrants from non-EU, e.g. the Middle East and Asia.
•It also gives us a glimpse of the quality of migrant talent that is left as a result of the referendum. As professional workers leave the country with no one to replenish them, and unskilled candidates coming to the country have dwindled since the referendum, the UK — known to be a hub for top talent — may be hit with a lack of competition. Those who are left may be those who are not qualified, or simply “unemployable”.
To recap each of the methods that may be considered in answering the question,“How has migrant labour shifted as a result of the 2016 referendum?” the following summary is below:
Each of the methods above has its strengths and weaknesses, but it can also be observed that utilizing complementary approaches may be a sound way of improving the study validity. For the research question, the insights generated from the interview provide a strong foundation on the motivations behind labour migration, including the sentiments of migrants pre- and post- referendum. Thus, it strongly complements a quantitative / big data approach as it provides context and depth to the statistical results.
And while it emerges that LinkedIn and network analysis are the best quantitative tools to use to answer the research question, primarily since confounders and errors are comparatively lower to experiments and agent-based simulation, the use of an interview adds value and relatability to a socially relevant topic, which supplements the hard statistical findings from the quantitative approach.
