"Work Like a Chinese": Aspirations, Patterns of Work, and Working Conditions of the Chinese Immigrant Community in Southern Spain.

Bárbara Badanta,Sergio Barrientos-Trigo,María González-Cano Caballero,Rafael-Jesús Fernández-Castillo,Giancarlo Lucchetti,Rocío De Diego-Cordero,Elena Fernández-García

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197063

Abstract

Expanding businesses was the main reason for the immigration of Chinese people in Spain, which consists the fifth largest nationality of immigrants in this country. Nevertheless, few studies have been carried out to understand the working conditions of this population. Using an ethnographic design, this study examined the work patterns and working conditions among Chinese immigrants living in southern Spain and how these factors affected their health. Observing participants, field notes, and semi-structured interviews with question script were conducted with 133 Chinese immigrants. Five main themes were defined: “Economic improvement as a migratory reason”, “Conception to Work”, “Labor Sector”, “Work conditions”, and “Occupational health”. Our results showed that Chinese immigrants worked in the provision of services, with long working hours and little rest. Although they had low rates of unemployment, the working conditions had an important impact on their dietary patterns and their family life. Ergonomic and psychosocial risks also explained high rates of musculoskeletal problems and stress. In conclusion, Chinese immigrants living in southern Spain work actively in the service sector of the economy, but with many work hours. These characteristics seem to impact their health at a physical, psychological, and social level.

Highlights

The last global economic crisis that began in 2007, affected most economic sectors in both developed and developing countries [1]
This study shows that the eating establishments have saturated the national market and the Chinese population has been searching for new areas of economic development [31], such as retailer, wholesale, and imports
Chinese immigrants are commonly overlooked. This is more perceived while investigating other countries outside the United States

Summary

Introduction

The last global economic crisis that began in 2007, affected most economic sectors in both developed and developing countries [1]. The lack of job opportunities and the associated feeling of insecurity have led to an increase in international migration in recent years to countries with higher economic levels [2]. According to Eurostat data, 3.9 million people immigrated to one of the member states of the EU-27 in 2018, in which Spain ranked second (643,000) in reception of immigrants in Europe [3]. Immigrants in the host country comprise a substantial proportion of the low-paid workforce [4], the growing crises in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and services, caused the departure of foreign population living in Spain [1]. While the number of people of Romanian or. Public Health 2020, 17, 7063; doi:10.3390/ijerph17197063 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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Discussion

Conclusion