Labor Migration

Abstract

This chapter focuses on labor migration. An overview of countries’ “visa mix” reveals that countries today emphasize labor migration over family reunification and humanitarian entries. Distinctions are made between high-skilled migrants and low-skilled migrants; there is also a division between temporary and permanent labor migration. A closer look reveals that these definitions are highly contested. Explanations of states’ policy choices include a focus on labor market actors—corporations; sectoral employers organizations and labor unions, and their relative power; these explanations emphasize competition among different interests. On the other hand, some researchers look to cross-class coalitions of labor market actors as the source of policy. A third group of researchers focuses on the structure of labor markets, differentiating between liberal market economies and coordinated market economies. Finally, researchers also explore the role of public opinion in state policy choice. Labor migration raises both theoretical and ethical issues. The chapter points to new avenues of research as well as the exploitative nature of many labor market policies that also raise issues of discrimination against marginalized groups.