The Ethnic Hierarchy of the Taxi Industry: Structural Changes and Social Mobility Among Migrant Drivers

The Norwegian taxi industry is an immigrant niche. Immigrant niches are often structured hierarchically, where workers are positioned in relation to their nationality or ethnicity. This article shows the existence of an ethnic hierarchy in the Oslo taxi industry, primarily between Pakistani and Somali drivers, and it unpacks the elements that shape this hierarchy. Extending the argument that the role of structures should receive more attention in exploring niches, I argue that industry regulations contribute to shaping an ethnic hierarchy in this occupation. Furthermore, I emphasize the importance of time of migration and investigate how this intertwines with regulations in forming a hierarchy. The article proceeds to explore how social mobility for Somali and Pakistani drivers has been facilitated and limited through the occupation and how this also relates to the time of migration and (de)regulations. Building on these findings, I conjecture about how current deregulations can alter the ethnic hierarchy, but simultaneously limit paths to social mobility.