Understanding international migrants’ work-life balance through the prism of their working time duration: evidence from the ukrainian case

Abstract

ABSTRACT Population well-being is a broad concept that cannot be limited solely to a financial situation. Work-life balance is one of the indicators actively implemented in the field. International migrants have specific well-being characteristics. The purpose of the present article is to investigate international migrants’ work-life balance using working time duration as an analytical tool, to trace the specific mechanisms applied by labour migrants from Ukraine for maintaining it and to identify factors which are extending and limiting migrants’ working hours abroad. It is proposed to use places of work and residence as a symbolic representation of “work” and “life” elements which have to be maintained in balance. Migrant workers usually have longer working hours compared to the local population. This is possible because of the work-home journeys reduction, communication and family obligations minimization in addition to the administrative barriers shrinking. The mechanism of inter-rhythmic work-life adjustment is introduced in the article. It implies that the prevalence of work in a certain cycle of activity can be balanced by the increased presence of an opposing element (rest) within the rhythm with a reduced frequency of oscillation. This means that daily work-life imbalance can be corrected within weekly, seasonal or annual rhythms.