Labour Migration Research Articles

Intersectoral protection of labor and social rights in conditions of social transformation (review of the International scientific and practical conference)

The article contains an analytical review of reports and speeches of participants in the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Intersectoral protection of labor and social rights in the conditions of social transformation”. Attention is drawn to the fact that the legal regulation of labor, which is inextricably linked with the personality of the worker, and social protection require reliance on knowledge of the sciences about man and society. Sectoral labor legal protections for effectively achieving results in the field of labor migration, creating a comprehensive system for protecting the life and health of an employee during working life, protecting workers in the event of an employer’s insolvency, implementing the constitutional guarantee of respect for the working person, etc. must achieve intersectoral and interdisciplinary harmonization.

Деякі регіональні особливості вимушеної міграції з України: столиця та інші регіони.

The forced migration of Ukrainians within the country and abroad has become a characteristic feature of the era of full-scale invasion. It saved the lives and health of many people, as a decrease in population density in the areas most affected by the hostilities leads to a decrease in human losses. Despite the great research interest in the topic of forced migration, some aspects of it still remain poorly understood, in particular, it is important to study the peculiarities of forced migration at the localities level, at least in large cities. The purpose of this article is to single out the category of forced migrants who lived in Kyiv before the full-scale invasion by the aggressor country and to identify the peculiarities of staying abroad and the attitudes of this group. To achieve this goal, general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, and induction were used. Empirical data were collected using the method of sample surveys. The method of grouping was used to distinguish Kyiv residents from the general population of respondents, and the method of comparison was used to identify the peculiarities of their forced migration abroad. The study found that Kyiv residents are more likely to settle abroad in the capitals of their destination countries. Among them, there are more unmarried and childless individuals, which creates prerequisites for socio-economic integration outside the country. Also, people from the capital were less likely to have relatives abroad at the time of the full-scale invasion, which is likely due to their low level of participation in external labor migration in the previous period. Migrants from the capital proved to be better integrated in the countries of settlement, which is reflected in their proficiency in the local language, employment in the local labor market, and higher levels of financial well-being. At the same time, they retain stronger ties to Ukraine. Residents of Kyiv region are similar to Kyiv residents in some respects, while in others they are similar to residents of other regions. The study also revealed cases where the population of Kyiv region exhibited characteristics intermediate between Kyiv and other regions. The development of effective strategies for migration management, socio-economic development of the country during the war and post-war revival needs to take into account regional specifics.

The Spatial Structure of the Moscow Metropolis

Due to the scale of population and economic concentration, Moscow is a mega-polis forming a vast zone of influence around itself. The accumulated economic and financial potential of the capital, as well as its huge consumer demand, consistently act as the most important factors in the development of the surrounding regions of the Non-Chernozem region. These regions can be considered as the periphery of the Moscow Metropolis, a supra-agglomeration spatial structure developing around Moscow. During the post-Soviet period, there has been a steady trend towards the centralization of demographic, economic and investment resources in Moscow and the Moscow region. Active population growth, investment penetration and active suburbanization in the 50-60-kilometer zone closest to Moscow are taking place against the background of socio-economic depression in rural areas, small and medium-sized urban centers in areas more remote from the capital. Today, Moscow and the 60-kilometer zone around it concentrate 65% of the metropolitan population, as well as over 80% of its gross product and investments in fixed assets. This is also the zone of active daily pendulum labor migrations to Moscow (up to 1.5 million people daily), which are carried out by 15 to 60% of the total able-bodied population living here. Along with this, there are prerequisites for promising development as part of the metropolis and more remote territories. In particular, there is an integration of regional labor markets with Moscow, through alternative work formats – over a million residents of the periphery are othodniki (shift workers), remote and hybrid employment is widespread. An important factor in the socio-economic development of the “bloodless” rural area of the peripheral metropolis is the filling of its 4 million summer residents in the summer season. Thus, joining the Moscow Metropolis of the regions surrounding the capital, along with risks, creates unique integration opportunities for them and sets a strategic vector for their spatial development.

Micro-geographies of administration: a wolf in sheep's clothing? The impact of trust on a street-level approach to immigrant integration

Increased global migration to welfare states puts pressure on successful integration. Successful integration is broadly associated with entry into the labour market. Therefore, integration is measured through employment. Attempts to increase migrant involvement in the labour market are often made by street-level organisations, where interactions between individuals from the private and/or public sector interact with the migrants. At this microlevel, seemingly innocuous administrative decisions made by individuals working to increase migrant labour integration are often overlooked, yet, as this study shows, have a significant impact on the perceived success of such projects. Using nonparticipant observation, chronological ordering and framework analysis, this paper investigates the dynamics of trust as a critical, yet underplayed dimension of the immigrant integration process within a Swedish street-level organisation. The findings reveal instances of immigrant commodification, exploitation of the project format and lack of cultural awareness, which can disrupt the delicate psychosocial relations at play, without ever being appreciated in official reports. Moreover, the impact of trust further impacts on the micro-geographies of immigrants and the integration process. We conclude that whilst the results of integration efforts should be evaluated at the macro level, the fundamentals of integration are set and often decided upon already at the street level

Drivers of overseas labour migration, migration intensity, and destination choice among farming households in Nepal

ABSTRACT In recent years, overseas labour migration has become a lifeline for many households in Nepal. Using survey data from 465 randomly selected households and 227 overseas labour migrants, this paper examines the factors influencing overseas labour migration and migration intensity in farming households by employing a generalised two-part fractional regression model, and migrants’ destination choice by using the probit model. We find that a higher proportion of educated members in the household, along with household’s credit access, indebtedness, and contacts with manpower agencies significantly increase the likelihood of overseas labour migration and migration intensity in the households, whereas the presence of employed members in the household, larger farms, irrigation access, and higher asset index significantly lower such likelihood. We find a lower likelihood of migration to Malaysia and the Middle East countries among individuals with employed household members and a higher asset index, while those connected to manpower agencies are more likely to choose these countries as destinations. Our findings emphasise the significance of creating and providing decent economic opportunities, including strengthening the agriculture sector, to address the existing surge in overseas labour migration from farming households in Nepal.

Remittances and Livestock Management in Agropastoral Households in Rural Kyrgyzstan: Telecoupled Impacts of Globalization☆

AbstractAgropastoralism and international labor migration are livelihood strategies that are interconnected as dominant ways of life across rural Kyrgyzstan. A prevalent rural livelihood strategy—agropastoralism—is closely tied to agrarian semi‐nomadic ways of life that link families and communities to the surrounding mountain environment. Another livelihood strategy—international labor migration—links or telecouples communities and income streams to transnational family structures, international labor markets, and distant economies. This article examines four hypothetical relationships between key elements of these two livelihood strategies. The relationship between remittances, pasture access, and livestock holdings is examined by analyzing 1,815 household surveys from southern rural Kyrgyzstan. We find remittances and livestock holdings have a significant positive relationship when a household is receiving a large amount of remittances, but not when the remittances received are modest. We also find that access to more distant, productive pastures is positively associated with the receipt of any amount of remittances. These findings demonstrate the ways in which migration and remittances can impact livestock management and agropastoral livelihoods at different levels of remittance reception.

Who are the immigrants that Israeli Jews prefer? The interplay between reasons for migration, religion, and religiosity

This study focuses on the impact of three attributes of migrants – their reasons for migration, religion, and level of religiosity – on public support for allowing migrants to come and live in Israel. We rely on a factorial survey that was conducted in a representative sample of the Israeli Jewish population analyzing the assessments of 600 respondents of various vignettes (N = 3,595) of hypothetical migrants about admitting them to the country. The findings reveal that Israeli Jews do not evaluate all immigrant groups equally. Preferences for specific groups of migrants are primarily structured along two main attributes: religion and reasons for migration. The result is a hierarchical distinction between immigrants of Jewish ancestry and those who are non-Jewish. Jewish repatriates are perceived as “deserving migrants” who can make legitimate claims about belonging to the host society. As such, they enjoy an ethno-religious premium based on ancestral rights. By contrast, there is less support for the entry of non-Jewish migrants, whether asylum seekers or labor migrants, as their presence is viewed as a threat to the Jewish character of the state and the hegemony of the Jewish majority. The impact of the immigrants’ attributes on attitudes varies based on the level of religiosity of the Jewish population, especially in the case of non-Jewish migrants. Support is stronger in the case of secular respondents and much weaker among their more religious counterparts. The findings are discussed in light of existing theories.

Peran Imigrasi dalam Perkembangan Migrasi di Indonesia

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of migration patterns in Indonesia, covering both historical and modern movements. It covers a range of topics, including colonial migration, labor migration in the late 1900s and the present, as well as the difficulties faced by asylum seekers passing through the region and the effect on local government and coordination. The use of data collection methods including the examination of books or documents is usually categorized as a qualitative methodology. The main purpose of this data collection effort is to systematically gather pertinent information that will be used to strengthen the research variables and indicators. The Indonesian government views Indonesia primarily as a transit location for refugees, and not as a long-term settlement site. This implies that current measures do not provide adequate long-term protection for refugees. The lack of clear laws and regulations in Indonesia regarding refugees results in the absence of crucial social, economic, and cultural rights for this vulnerable population.

How much does overnutrition weigh? The environmental and social impacts of Metabolic Food Waste in Italy

Excess Food Energy Intake (EFEI), namely Metabolic Food Waste (MFW) corresponds to excess calorie intake related to overconsumption of food and is responsible for overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) conditions. Identifying its causes and impacts could be important, so that it can be prevented and reduced, generating health, environmental and societal benefits. Therefore, this research quantifies MFW among OW and OB adult populations (18–75 years) in Italy and its environmental and social implications. Life cycle assessment (LCA) through the Simapro 9.5 software was used and then, the results were monetized according to the Environmental Price Handbook to understand the real environmental cost. Finally, Social LCA (S-LCA) was considered following the Product Social Impact Assessment (PSILCA) guidelines to understand the potential social risks behind the food that ends up on our plates. The results highlight the amount of MFW in Italy is 2696 billion kcal/year corresponding to 1.59 Mtons over-consumed food/year, while the impacts are mainly related to global warming (8.78 Mtons CO2 eq/year, or 2.29 % of the total Italian CO2 emissions), terrestrial ecotoxicity (843,451 tons 1.4-DCB/year), freshwater ecotoxicity (222,483 tons 1.4 DCB eq/year), and land consumption (8 million m2a eq/year), mostly due to the meat, fats and oils and sweets overconsumption. Impacts monetization also shows that MFW could induce an environmental price of € 1340/per capita/year, and finally, the S-LCA reveals how overconsumption of food has the potential to affect gender discrimination, water depletion, trade union, and social discrimination due to the high proportion of labor migrants in the agricultural sector.

A Qualitative Insight into Pre-Departure Orientation Training for Aspiring Nepalese Migrant Workers.

Pre-departure orientation training (PDOT) can help equip aspiring migrant workers with skills and knowledge to mitigate vulnerabilities throughout their migration journey, including health. In Nepal, PDOT has been mandatory since 2004 for migrant workers awaiting labour permits. The current PDOT programme includes country-specific information as well as health and well-being advice. However, the views of trainees and trainers on PDOT are largely unknown. This qualitative study aims to explore perceptions of migrant workers and relevant stakeholders on the content and delivery of PDOT. Six focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews were conducted with migrants, and eight interviews with key stakeholders were conducted. Thematic analysis resulted in five themes: (a) PDOT structure, accessibility, and implementation; (b) role of stakeholders in labour migration process; (c) coordination and governance; (d) curriculum development and relevance; and (e) capacity of trainers and effectiveness of training. Our findings emphasise the need for a more tailored curriculum with relevant information, education, and communication resources, possibly with input from former migrant workers. Regular updates of training topics and resources, as well as continued engagement with migrants after their employment, are essential for meeting the dynamic demands of the global employment market.

Important Factors in the Development of Young Entrepreneurial Groups in Forest Honeybee Cultivation and Products

The younger generation emerges as a pivotal subject in perpetuating sustainable development, with an expectation to also play a role in rural areas to optimize the potential of local resources, thereby mitigating the negative impacts of urbanization and reducing labor migration. Thus, the research aims to analyze the crucial factors supporting the role of youth in the development of socio-economic institutions in rural areas. The study employs the Participatory Learning and Action method to construct community learning experiences through interviews, Focus Group Discussions, documentation analysis, and observation. The research informants consist of the Young Farmer Group "Prawita Garden", which has successfully cultivated forest honeybees and developed rural tourism destinations. Interactive research analysis is utilized for data reduction, verification, and triangulation, complemented by modeling using the Vensin application. The research findings indicate that the "Prawita Garden" young farmer group has emerged as a pioneer and inspirator in honeybee cultivation and production, particularly of unique honey types such as Klanceng Honeybee, imported European Honeybee, and local Honeybee. Crucial factors in the development of young farmer institutionalization include entrepreneurial motivation and group formation, local indigenous practices passed down through generations or integrated into traditions intertwined with the social capital prevalent in rural communities.

Results of Treatment of Patients with Multiple Drug Resistant Tuberculosis among Key Populations during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

The objective: to identify changes in effectiveness of treatment of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis among key populations in Dushanbe, including the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.Subjects and Methods. Retrospective study of medical records of 431 MDR TB patients registered for treatment in Dushanbe was conducted (2017-2019 - Group 1 and 2020-2021 - Group 2 (the COVID-19 pandemic period)).Results. The duration of treatment was 15.4±6.9 months in Group 1, and 10.8±4.3 months in Group 2, which was due to the introduction of short-course regimens in that group. At the same time, in Group 2 there was an increase in effectiveness of MDR TB treatment to 85% versus 80% in Group 1, which was due to the use of new drugs and regimens containing them. In Group 1, a statistically significant association was found between MDR TB treatment failure and the following parameters: male gender (RR=2.3 (1.36-4.04), p=0.002), positive HIV status (RR=2.35 (1.37-4.05), p=0.011), hepatitis C infection (RR=3.0 (1.87-4.8), p <0.001), alcohol (RR=3.2 (1.96-5.2), p<0.001) and substances abuse (RR=3.99 (2.5-6.2), p<0.001), previous imprisonment (RR=2.6 (1.48-4.6), p<0.001), unemployment (RR=3.5 (1.8-6.7), p <0.001), and homelessness (RR=5.0 (3.9-6.5), p=0.0011). In Group 2, failure of MDR TB treatment was statistically significantly associated with hepatitis C (RR=3.3 (1.5-7.2), p=0.02), alcohol and drug abuse (RR= 4.4 ( 1.95-10.1). p =0.026), as well as (unlike Group 1) labor migration (RR=3.0 (1.45-6.2), p=0.0068), in-patient treatment (RR=3.8 (1.36-10.64), p=0.0056), while there was no association with HIV status.

Labour Migration and Human Trafficking in Andhra Pradesh, India: A ‘Determinants of Migrant Vulnerability’ Perspective

Labour migration, other than being a key driver of economic growth and development, is also associated with inconsistent human rights practices. This paper furthers the understanding of links between migration and human trafficking in Andhra Pradesh, India. It applies IOM’s Determinants of Vulnerability Framework to assess and analyse the various ways in which vulnerabilities of the migrant unorganised and casual labourers are constructed as they are forced to migrate for livelihood security. The study employed a mixed-methods approach which included a survey of 5888 individuals, seven case studies, five focus group discussions and 121 key informant interviews. The paper confirms that migration, by itself, does not lead to trafficking. A number of intersecting, inter-related factors at individual, household, community, and structural levels add to risks or provide protection against trafficking to a migrant before, during or after the process of migration. Relatedly, the paper argues that the process of migration is a continuum between vulnerability, unsafe migration, and trafficking.

The slowness of language, the speed of capital: conflicting temporalities of the “green transition” in the Swedish north

Abstract Following substantial investments in battery production and fossil-free steel, a few select places in northern Sweden are currently undergoing rapid economic and cultural changes. The aim of this article is to explore the role language education plays for three different groups of (im)mobile subjects – refugees, labor migrants, and cosmopolitan elites – in the ongoing social transformations. By using the time-consuming and ideologically charged social practice of teaching and learning languages as a lens, it is argued that although framed as a sustainability project, the pace of the transformation is set by the accelerating logic of capitalism, posing a challenge to the democratic planning of inclusive local communities, as well as to societal subsystems characterized by much slower temporal regimes. Hence, although Sweden is committed to a “just transition” as part of the Paris Agreement, some are obviously benefiting much more than others from this transition. This paper further highlights the potentially high costs for the local communities that “win” the bids for the new green industries. Apart from considerable economic costs in the present, another result might also be increased social stratification and weakening social cohesion in the long term.

Трудовая миграция в российских регионах в контексте обеспечения экономической безопасности

In the accepted understanding of the role of labor migration as a leading factor in ensuring the economic security of Russia and its regions, it is necessary to proceed from the content of migration as a complex, multidimensional phenomenon, characterized by multidirectional and contradictory dynamics of the processes occurring in it. In conditions of geopolitical and macroeconomic instability, the diagnosis of these processes is updated in connection with sharp structural shifts in labor migration and changes in their influence on the economic security of Russian regions and the country. Based on a structural-dynamic analysis made with the use of official statistical information, the dynamics and effectiveness of the processes accompanying labor migration and their impact on the economic security of Russia, its regions, and macro-regions were identified. The main trends in labor migration at the macro level are the predominance of internal migration flows over external ones against the negative increase in labor migrants from countries outside the CIS countries and the reorientation of labor flows to other countries; changes in the sectoral structure of migration; and the high share and growth of illegal migration. At the meso level, there is a high level of differentiation in labor migration flows and, as a result, their ambiguous impact on the economic security of Russian macro-regions and their constituent entities. The main factors hindering the positive impact of labor migration on the economic security of the regions of the Southern Federal District are differences in their sectoral specialization; the state of social infrastructure, education, and healthcare; level of employment; environmental and climatic living conditions; composition and structure of the population; and quality of life. The solution to the problems of labor migration in the Southern Federal District, which can ensure an increase in the migration attractiveness of the territories of the macro-region, lies, first of all, in the growth and balance of the quality of life of the population in the regions of the Southern Federal District, increasing the effectiveness of the state regional industrial and social policy, and strengthening the place and role of migration policy in long-term programs of regional development.

Disembedding and re-embedding practices of social innovation at the nexus of migration and labour exploitation in agriculture

The last two decades have witnessed a growing academic debate on labour exploitation, caporalato, organised crime, and migration issues in agriculture, which, as wicked problems, are deeply interconnected and resist generalisable solutions. To contribute to this thriving debate from a social innovation lens, we investigate the organising practices meant to disrupt the organised status-quo of exploitation. Drawing upon a case study from Foggia in Puglia (southern Italy), we investigate how an Italian non-profit organisation developed and implemented a multi-stakeholder pilot project of economic integration in rural areas to confront the phenomenon of labour exploitation in agriculture. Through collaboration among authorities, civil societies, and private sectors, this pilot project managed to unlock underused resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable individuals embedded in the local ecosystem. By developing a grounded theory on practices of disembedding and embedding, this study contributes to theories on social innovation as political actions and interactions that purposely trigger disruption in established systems of labour exploitation, organised crime, and migration.

Changes in risk behaviour following a network peer education intervention for HIV prevention among male Tajik migrants who inject drugs in Moscow: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

The "Migrants' Approached Self-Learning Intervention in HIV/AIDS for Tajiks" (MASLIHAT) recruits and trains Tajik labour migrants who inject drugs as peer educators (PEs) in delivering HIV prevention information and encouragement to adopt risk-reduction norms and practices within their diaspora social networks while reducing their own HIV risk. The MASLIHAT intervention was tested in Moscow in a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 12 recruitment sites assigned to either the MASLIHAT intervention or an equal-time peer-educator training focused on other health conditions (TANSIHAT). From October 2021 to April 2022, 140 male Tajik migrants who inject drugs were recruited as PEs to attend the 5-session MASLIHAT training or the TANSIHAT non-HIV comparison condition. Each participant in both groups recruited two network members (NMs) who inject drugs with the intent to share with them the information and positive strategies for change they had learned (n = 280). All PEs and NMs (n = 420) participated in baseline and follow-up interviews at 3-month intervals for 1 year. All received HIV counselling and testing. Modified mixed effects Poisson regressions tested for group differences in injection practices, sexual risk behaviours and heavy alcohol use over time. At baseline, across both groups, 75% of participants reported receptive syringe sharing (RSS), 42% reported condomless sex and 20% reported binge drinking at least once a month. In contrast to TANSIHAT where HIV risk behaviours remained the same, significant intervention effects that were sustained over the 12 months were observed for receptive syringe and ancillary equipment sharing among both MASLIHAT PEs and NMs (p < 0.0001). Significant declines in the prevalence of sexual risk behaviours were also associated with the MASLIHAT intervention (p < 0.01), but not the comparison condition. Binge alcohol use was not affected in either condition; the MASLIHAT intervention had a transitory effect on drinking frequency that dissipated after 9 months. The MASLIHAT peer-education intervention proved highly effective in reducing HIV-related injection risk behaviour, and moderately effective in reducing sexual risk behaviour among both PEs and NMs. Network-based peer education is an important tool for HIV prevention among people who inject drugs, especially in environments that are not amenable to community-based harm reduction.

TATARNESS REIMAGINED: LANGUAGE, MEMORY, AND IDENTITY IN POST-CIVIL WAR TAJIKISTAN

This paper examines the transformation of ethnic identity among the Tatar community in Tajikistan in the wake of the Tajik Civil War. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it analyses how the war and subsequent dispersion and migration have reconfigured Tatar ethnic ties and fostered the emergence of a hybrid identity. The findings reveal a complex process of identity formation, where the loss of homeland and language intertwines with the development of a Tajikistani national identity and the experience of differentiation through labour migration. The paper argues that the Tatar community’s self-definition as ‘Tatar of Tajikistan’ epitomises the resilience of people navigating multiple contexts and transcending conventional categories of ethnicity and migration. It offers insights into the dynamics of identity politics amidst post-socialist transition and war.

Beyond Borders: Exploring the Lives of Migrant Workers in Chandigarh

The phenomenon of migration is intricately woven into the fabric of modern societies, shaping economies, cultures, and identities. Amidst the bustling urban landscape of Chandigarh, a city emblematic of India`s aspirations for progress and modernity, lies a diverse tapestry of migrant workers whose narratives remain largely unexplored. This study seeks to delve into the lives of these migrant workers, illuminating their experiences, challenges, and aspirations. Drawing upon quantitative research methodology, this study aims to uncover the multifaceted dimensions of migrant labour in Chandigarh. Through survey and structured interviews. It endeavour to comprehend the socio-economic, cultural, and psychological dynamics that underpin the lives of migrant workers. By examining factors such as employment patterns, living conditions, access to social services, and integration processes, we aim to elucidate the complexities of their daily existence. By amplifying the voices of migrant workers and providing a nuanced understanding of their lives, this research seeks to inform policy interventions and social initiatives aimed at improving their well-being and fostering inclusive urban development in Chandigarh. Through its exploration of the lives "Beyond Borders," this study endeavours to shed light on the resilience, struggles, and aspirations of Chandigarh`s migrant workforce.

КЫРГЫЗ РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫНДАГЫ СОЦИАЛДЫК-ДЕМОГРАФИЯЛЫК ӨНҮГҮҮНҮН ТЕНДЕНЦИЯЛАРЫ ЖАНА ФАКТОРЛОРУ

This study deals with the peculiarities of the socio-demographic situation in Kyrgyzstan. It analyzes the trends of population growth, declining birth rate, migration, youth unemployment, problems of access to healthcare and education, and ethnic inequality. This study used statistical data and sociological surveys. This reveals an increase in poverty, reaching 33.2% by 2022. The reasons for this are unemployment, low incomes, and dependency. There is a high level of external labor migration. Remittances from migrants improve living standards; however, migration has negative consequences. The government is taking measures to improve the situation, including programs to support families, develop education and health care, and increase employment; however, the problems of poverty, unemployment, and high mortality require further solutions. Kyrgyzstan's demographic policy needs to be improved, considering the best practices of other countries.