‘We don’t worry that much about language’: street-level bureaucracy in the context of linguistic diversity

Abstract

The way we deal with diversity is crucial for social equity in the context of migration-related super-diversityand represents a challenge for all actors involved. The present article aims to contribute to the understanding of linguistic discrimination by contrasting the perceptions of institutional actors and mobile European citizens concerning language-related barriers when accessing labour market mediation services and benefits. The article draws exemplarily on empirical data (mainly qualitative interviews) relating to the provision of labour market-related services by the Austrian Employment Service and Hungarian migrants' experiences with this institution. The juxtaposition of these two complementary perspectives reveals the challenges that managing linguistic diversity poses for institutions and the actors involved alike. Likewise, it permits investigations into how emerging language-related problems may translate into experiences of inequity.