Migrant mobility and value creation in hospitality labour

Abstract

This study examines diverse forms of value that migrant workers create through their employment in hospitality. The paper draws on insights from valuation studies and research on migrants' transnational resources to consider the experiences of Kenyans who worked in the hospitality sector while abroad. The paper introduces the notion of ‘indefinite capacities’ to conceptualise the amorphous nature of skills, capabilities and resources that may be developed through hospitality work. The findings explore how value is constructed and negotiated within occupational, cultural and psychological domains, examining how and why indefinite capacities are (de)valued in specific moments, and how they are (re)appraised in the wider context of migrants' careers and lives.