From Migrant Worker to Migrant Broker: The Grey Zone of Transnational Recruitment between Canada and Guatemala

Abstract

The Global Compact on Migration and International Organizations pay increasing focus to fair migrant labor recruitment. By looking at the temporary migration of Guatemalans to Canada, this paper demonstrates that migrants play a crucial role in managing labor migration. Based on interviews with Guatemalan migrants, recruiters, and Canadian employers, I analyze the dual role of migrants, as both producers and subjects of recruitment practices. I build upon the concept of the migration industry to show how this phenomenon creates a grey zone of migration brokerage at the crossroads of business and social networks, problematizing the global discourse on fair recruitment.