scholarly journals Gig work as migrant work: The platformization of migration infrastructure

2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2110650
Author(s):  
Niels van Doorn ◽  
Darsana Vijay
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Migrant Labor ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Migrant Work ◽  
Investment Capital ◽  
And Migration

With markets concentrating predominantly in and around large cities, gig platforms across the globe seem to depend as much on the cheap labor of migrants and minorities as on investment capital and permissive governments. Accordingly, we argue that there is an urgent need to center migrant experiences and the role of migrant labor in gig economy research, in order to generate a better understanding of how gig work offers certain opportunities and challenges to migrants with a variety of backgrounds and skill levels. To fill this research gap, this article examines why migrant workers in Berlin, Amsterdam, and New York take up platform labor and how they incorporate it into their everyday lives and migration trajectories. Additionally, it considers the extent to which gig platforms are emerging as actors in the political economy of migration, as a result of how they absorb migrant labor and mediate migrant mobilities. We move beyond the existing parameters of gig economy research by engaging with two strands of literature on migration and migrant labor that, we feel, are particularly useful for framing our analysis: the autonomy of migration approach and the migration infrastructures perspective. Combining these conceptual lenses enables us not only to critically situate migrant gig workers’ experiences but also to identify a broader development: the platformization of low-wage labor markets that are an integral component of migration infrastructures.

The Difference Gender Makes: State Policy and Contract Migrant Workers in Singapore

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 75-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirlena Huang ◽  
Brenda S.A. Yeoh
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Medical Surveillance ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
International Labor ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Employment Legislation

The increasing numbers of men and women involved in international labor migration at all skill levels have raised crucial policy issues and concerns for both sending and receiving countries, not only in the area of migration and employment legislation, but also in terms of how migrant workers are positioned within the larger society. Using the case of Singapore, we adopt a gendered analysis to examine the central role of state policies and practices in the incorporation vis-à-vis non-incorporation of male versus female contract migrant workers into Singapore society, in terms of their differential access to legal protection; the differential effects of state medical surveillance of their bodies; the different ways in which their ‘skills' are valorized; as well as differences in the efforts invested into the social control of these workers in public space.

Conclusion: Labor, Migration, and Action

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Bauder
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
International Migration ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Migrant Labor ◽  
Cultural Representations ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
International Migrants

Social, cultural, and legal practices associated with international migration are integral elements of a wider neoliberal regime of accumulation. Neoliberalism, however, is not a monolithic configuration. It evolved through a history and geography of experimentation (Peck 2004) and exists in a variety of forms. Likewise, the manner in which international migration regulates labor markets does not follow a prewritten, universal script but evolves in a place- and contextspecific manner. Formal citizenship, for example, is a powerful category to control migrant labor in many countries. In Canada, however, foreign immigrants and citizens have similar labor market rights, and in Germany long-term foreign residents acquire postnational rights, which put newcomers on more or less equal legal footing with nonmigrants. When citizenship fails to distinguish between migrant and nonmigrant workers, then other mechanisms of distinction, including various forms of cultural and social capital, assume more prominent roles. The case studies presented in this book show how these legal, social, and cultural processes of distinguishing and controlling international migrants regulate labor markets. Cultural representation is a critical process in maintaining, enforcing, and advancing this aspect of the neoliberal project. A particularly powerful discursive strategy is the representation of migrant labor as essential for production and economic well-being and, at the same time, the vilification of migrant workers as outsiders, parasites, and threats to local and national communities. Although I limited my empirical investigation to a few case studies, similar representations of migrant workers likely exist in Australia, throughout Europe, in the United States, and in other migrant-receiving industrialized countries. In recent years, cultural representations of migrants have been tied to the so-called war on terrorism, which constructs international migrants as a particularly deadly population. Exploiting the fears of terror, restrictive and oppressive policies and practices toward international migrants have gone far beyond genuine efforts to filter out traveling suicide assassins (Wright 2003). The strategic incorporation of new narratives into discourses of migration and the appropriation of relatively unrelated but highly visible events such as the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York illustrate the systematic, if not deliberate, nature of representation.

The Role of the Mexican Consulate Network in Assisting Migrant Labor Claims across the U.S.-Mexico Migratory System

2021 ◽  
pp. 0160449X2110032
Author(s):  
Ricardo D. Martínez-Schuldt ◽  
Jacqueline Maria Hagan ◽  
Deborah M. Weissman
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Migrant Labor ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Temporary Workers ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Local Contexts ◽  
Mexican Government ◽  
The U.S

We investigate the role of the Mexican government in assisting migrant workers in the labor claims-making process across three consular jurisdictions in the United States. Our analysis of administrative documents finds that consular support varies in relation to the local context within which consulates operate and depends on the circumstances of labor issues. We argue that binational claims, which involve migrants that have returned to Mexico, emerge in local economies characterized by cyclical migration of temporary workers and necessitate particular forms of consular support. This study reveals the diverse ways consulates assist workers and offers insight on how local contexts shape consular support.

Language, employment, and settlement: Temporary meat workers in Australia

Multilingua ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Piller ◽  
Loy Lising
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
English Language ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Meat Processing ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
And Migration

AbstractAustralia is one of the world’s largest beef exporters. However, meat processing jobs are widely considered undesirable and are increasingly filled with employer-sponsored migrant workers on temporary long-stay visas. Against this background, our paper explores the role of language in the employment and migration trajectories of a group of meat processing workers from the Philippines in a small town in rural Australia. Methodologically, we employ a case study approach combining macro-data from language and migration policy documents and media reports with micro-data from ethnographic fieldwork. We explore the role of language in recruitment, in the workplace, during leisure time, and in gaining permanent residence in Australia. To begin with, language is not a recruitment criterion as the primary visa holder is hired on the basis of a so-called ‘trade test,’ i.e., observed at butchering work in the Philippines by an Australian recruiter. Spouses of the primary visa holder are also issued a temporary visa and are offered unskilled employment in the same plant. Once in Australia, the participants had few opportunities to practice English at work or in the community. In this way, temporary migrants came to Australia with limited English and had limited opportunities to improve their English in the country. However, visa extensions or the conversion of their temporary visa to a permanent residency visa is contingent upon their English language proficiency and only granted if they achieve a score of Level 5 or above on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Because of their limited education and limited practice opportunities, this proficiency level was out of the reach of most of our participants. We conclude by arguing that – in a context where

scholarly journals Unfree Labour, Migration and Racism: Towards an Analytical Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Carstensen
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Impact

When it comes to analysing exploitative and unfree labour, most research refers to “othering” or “race”. Race is often treated as a given category rather than a social phenomenon that needs explanation. In this article, I draw attention to the question of how racism is preserved, reproduced and changed within and through unfree labour relations. I do this by discussing the conceptual interlinkages between unfree labour, migration and racism. While the role of migration policies should not be underestimated, this should be accompanied by an analytical account of their racist background and outcomes. Based on this I present a framework for the analysis of racism as it relates to unfree labour and migration. I draw attention to three different levels of analysis (historico-structural, discursive-symbolic and everyday practices) and the interrelations between them. For empirical illustrations, I draw on my research on modern slave labour in two production sectors in Brazil: charcoal and clothing. I discuss the empirical findings with regard to three analytical problems in the analysis of unfree labour and racism: the impact of generalising knowledge on (future) migrant workers; the role and responsibility of global production networks; and the need to critically reflect on initiatives and policies aimed at the eradication of unfree labour.  KEYWORDS: labour migration; unfree labour; racism; Brazil; workers’ rights

Religious and social commitment of the Bulgarian Roma migrants in Spain

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-241
Author(s):  
Magdalena Slavkova
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Religious Community ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Social Commitment ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Migratory Movements

This paper is configured as an ethnographic discussion on the religious and social ties of different Roma/Gypsy communities from Bulgaria within their post-socialist labour migrations to Spain. It aims to add new fieldwork results and interpretations to the lacuna of studies on the interrelations between faith and migration. Most publications show the specificity of Roma economic activities in the context of their migratory movements, but the role of religious network and its social commitment is a less analysed issue. Roma migrants have different religious profile and are Orthodox Christians, Muslims, or Evangelical Christians. Bearing in mind the religious landscapes in Bulgaria and Spain, which are predominantly Orthodox or Catholic, respectively, all migrant workers have left from an Orthodox home country and settled in a Catholic destination country. The text examines Roma mobility from the early 1990s until today. While settling in Spain, Roma/Gypsies present themselves to Spanish people as ‘Bulgarians’ and they are often recognised by them in this way. In the period prior to Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union in 2007 most Roma migrants had no residence or work permits or neither. In some cases, they benefited from the services of the ‘Caritas’ Catholic organisation. However, they are not influenced by Catholicism as a faith and have only pragmatic aims in using its services. In this dynamic context, the social ties created on the basis of joining a particular religious community acquire importance for Evangelical believers, unlike the Orthodox Christians and the Muslims who rely on their family contacts mostly. Evangelical networks have a double accumulation effect and the believers employ both bridging and bonding social ties in producing their religious and social commitment. However, the social potential of the Evangelical networks is not fully used by Roma migrants in Spain.

Credit constraints and Rural Migration: Evidence from Six Villages in Uttar Pradesh

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-398
Author(s):  
Ruchi Singh
Keyword(s):  
Credit Constraints ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Male Migration ◽  
Rural Economies ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

Rural economies in developing countries are often characterized by credit constraints. Although few attempts have been made to understand the trends and patterns of male out-migration from Uttar Pradesh (UP), there is dearth of literature on the linkage between credit accessibility and male migration in rural Uttar Pradesh. The present study tries to fill this gap. The objective of this study is to assess the role of credit accessibility in determining rural male migration. A primary survey of 370 households was conducted in six villages of Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Simple statistical tools and a binary logistic regression model were used for analyzing the data. The result of the empirical analysis shows that various sources of credit and accessibility to them play a very important role in male migration in rural Uttar Pradesh. The study also found that the relationship between credit constraints and migration varies across various social groups in UP.

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