Temporary Migration Research Articles

Regulated Temporariness Reconsidered: Chinese Migrants in Japan and the Confluence of Policy, Infrastructure, and Transnational Factors

This paper examines how Japan’s immigration policies, the role of migration infrastructure, and pressures and expectations from the home country shape the regulated temporariness of Chinese migrants in Japan. It analyzes the regulated temporariness inherent in Japan’s visa system and considers how the uncertainty faced by temporary migrants intensifies their connections with China. The findings indicate that the migration infrastructure between China and Japan not only enhances migrants’ mobility but also restricts their freedom of choice. Furthermore, globalized social media and migrants’ connections to China transmit “pressure from China,” stemming from the two countries’ war history and the resultant political discourse, to Chinese migrants in Japan. The study reveals that migrant temporariness is not solely driven by migration entry and residence policies, as emphasized in existing migration research theories. Instead, migration infrastructure, historical relations between the two countries, and expectations for future development also shape migrants’ regulated temporariness. Migrants voluntarily enter into regulated temporariness, paradoxically achieving greater flexibility within this regulated state. This phenomenon demonstrates a blurred area between flexible temporariness and regulated temporariness, where both coexist rather than transitioning from one to the other. Consequently, it is necessary to expand our understanding of regulated temporariness, taking into account broader transnational factors and informal influences.

From tourists to essential workers: The multifaceted presence of backpackers in rural Queensland, Australia

Although there is notable scholarship on backpackers and their part in tourism cultures, there has been little reflection on their status as long term essential workers in rural areas and what this means for the communities who receive them. We address this gap by investigating the evolution of Australia's Working Holiday Maker program and how it has shaped the presence of backpackers in farming communities. Contemporary backpacking in Australia now involves a culturally and ethnically diverse cohort, which has become essential for farming communities' economic and cultural livelihoods. We argue that the ongoing modifications to the visa program have transformed the presence of backpackers in farming towns, from highly transient tourists to essential workers who may stay for longer periods as temporary migrants, and this has transformed the people and places that host them. Through the lens of mobilities, we outline useful lessons and insights from this example of a backpacker visa, which are relevant for future research and debates around rural livelihoods, labour migration, and farming communities.

Private Educational Expenditure Inequality between Migrant and Urban Households in China’s Cities

This paper studies households’ expenditure on the education of children in China’s cities to assess how internal migrant families’ investment in the human capital of their offspring differs from that of local urban families. The private education-related expenditure reflects both households’ willingness to invest in human capital and institutional constraints, as China’s household registration (hukou) system prevents children without a local city hukou from enrolling in urban public schools. In-school fees (consisting of statutory tuition and institutional tuition fees) are commonly topped-up with substantial private tutoring expenditure. We apply multiple regression to the 2008 “Rural–Urban Migration Survey in China” data to analyze the average expenditure differences between temporary migrants, permanent migrants and locals. The findings are, after controlling for social and economic characteristics, that: (1) the overall spending on education of migrant households overwhelmingly exceeds that of locals, which is expected since migrants must finance privately all education-related expenses their children incur; (2) migrant households spend more on institutional tuition fees compared to households with a local city hukou, reflecting the varying severity of administrative hurdles faced by families; and (3) temporary migrants spend more on institutional tuition fees than permanent migrant households, but less in private tutoring.

Socio-Economic Impact of Seasonal Migration on Tribal livelihood: A case study in Tribal areas of District Dare Ghazi Khan

The use of circular migration is done by Tribal households to diversify their income source and to cope with the seasonality of agriculture production, climate, political and/or economic changes. Temporary migration is a form of migration unpredictable and unidirectional in nature which occur where migrations take place for employment for a particular season of the year. This present study was conducted in Tribal areas of district D.G. Khan. The reasons and effects of tribal to urban migration in district D. G. Khan examined using descriptive survey research. The main objectives of the study are; i) to study the socio-economic characteristics of respondents; ii) to identify the causes of Tribal to urban migration in district D. G. Khan and; iii) to investigate the consequence of seasonal migration for livelihoods of migrants and their families. The result showed that 82.5% of the respondents was male, 33.3% respondents belong to age group between 18-25 years, 54.2% was married, while 31.7% income level was 10001-20,000, 80% respondents were strongly agreeing regarding consequence of seasonal migration is family care during extreme season, 65% were strongly agree, consequence of lack of facilities for their family they move to urban areas. Moreover 72.5% respondents were strongly agree regarding lack of education for their children they tend to move to urban areas, 51.6% were strongly agree regarding lack of basic needs for their family they get shelter in urban areas, 63% respondents were strongly agree, lack of source of income a big consequence to move urban areas, 56.6% were strongly agree increase in financial difficulties in winter season is a factor in seasonal migration, 54.1% were strongly agree regarding lack of agricultural tendency, 55% were strongly agree that secure extra income is driving of seasonal migration, 55% respondents were strongly agreed that lack of necessary infrastructure leads to seasonal migration, 60.8% were strongly agree that cause of seasonal migration is insufficient availability of food in winter season, 56.6% respondents were strongly agreed that seasonal migration is shortage of food tension, 60.8% were strongly agreed seasonal migration is lack of doctors or paramedical staff during illness, 55% respondents were strongly agreed that shortage of water for us cause to seasonal migration in winter season, 55% respondents were strongly agreed that shortage of water for us cause to seasonal migration in winter season, 59.1% respondents were strongly agreed that seasonal migration due to lack of suitable land, 54.1% respondents were strongly agreed that seasonal migration leads to an increase in cultural diversity, 55.8% respondents were strongly agreed that seasonal migration leads to a decline in agricultural cultivating.

Temporary Labor Migration from Sri Lanka to Gulf Cooperation Countries: Analyzing Labor Trafficking Amidst the Financial Crisis

Background and Aims: The financial crisis in Sri Lanka (SL) has marked a significant growth in temporary labor migration to Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). Temporary labor migration refers to migration from one state to another in pursuit of employment opportunities for a temporary period. The National Policy on Migration for Employment (NPME) and the National Action Plan of SL asserted the importance of developing labor migration policies in response to the country’s severe need for remittances during the financial crisis. A financial crisis occurs when a country's expenditure exceeds its national income, resulting in a shortage of goods and services for its citizens. Along with this understanding, this paper examines how the temporary labor migration from SL to GCC has developed in response to the financial crisis in the country. It argues that reforming labor migration policies solely based on remittance does not appear to be adequate to protect migrants from trafficking. In this setting, the key research question is how labor trafficking has risen amidst the financial crisis in SL. Methodology: In this study, Delphi indicators have been utilized to identify the demarcations of labor trafficking. The data was collected from thirty interviews conducted with family members of labor migrants who migrated to GCC in 2022. Results: The results indicate that shortcomings in the governance of labor migration during the financial crisis in SL have led to an increase in labor trafficking. Conclusion: The paper concludes with the discursive, implementation, and efficacy gaps in the governance of labor migration and suggests a right-based framework to guarantee equitable recruitment procedures.

Coping with temporariness: Space appropriation of South Asian migrants in Muscat, Oman

AbstractThis article deals with the practices of South Asian migrant workers appropriating space in Muscat, Oman. Due to temporary employment contracts, low income, and long working hours, in addition to living in a fragmented car‐dependent city, their access to the city is spatially and temporally limited. This raises the question of their opportunities and limitations for space appropriation in Muscat. In this paper, we first describe the urban and political context that leads to their limitations and temporalities. We then establish a theoretical framework to define the roles of space, migration, and time. Adopting a qualitative approach combining interviews and observation, we then focus on one location as a case study and analyse how its visitors, low‐income and middle‐income migrant workers, appropriate space according to their daily needs. Highlighting the tension between rigid constraints and constant change, we conclude by presenting the social and spatial products of the process of space appropriation and respond to the discourse on the production of space through the lens of temporary migration.

Migration as an Adaptation Measure to Achieve Resilient Lifestyle in the Face of Climate-Induced Drought: Insight from the Thar Desert in Pakistan

A significant number of people, either seasonally or permanently, migrate from the Thar Desert in Pakistan each year due to droughts caused by climate change. This study aims to investigate the determinants and consequences of these migration decisions, examine the effectiveness of migration as a climate adaptation strategy, and identify challenges in adapting to these changes. Data were gathered from 400 migrated households in the Mithi sub-district. A mixed-method approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings revealed that threats to the standard of living, including lack of food and clean drinking water, unemployment, and limited educational and medical opportunities, were the primary reasons for permanent and temporary migration from ancestral locations. Migration significantly impacted the origin and destination regions, with positive or negative effects. Specifically, migrants identified various consequences for both the origin and destination communities, including population decline (63%), changes in age structure, increased demand for housing, economic fluctuations (73%), alterations in healthcare services, and increased psychological stress (77%). The study also revealed that individuals who migrated from the Thar Desert experienced improved conditions compared to their previous location, such as diversification of income sources, increased job stability, access to clean water and food, reduced health risks, and overall improvements in their living conditions. However, the destination communities faced significant challenges due to widespread resource depletion and environmental deterioration. Migrants encountered barriers to developing resilient livelihoods in destination areas, including lack of proper knowledge and information, institutional and government issues, environmental and technological challenges, and social and cultural issues. The study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive policies and sustainable solutions to address the root causes of migration and support the resilience of vulnerable populations.

CLASS AT THE CROSSROADS: Reframing Disadvantage in Organizing Daily Wage Work in Western India

AbstractAcross Indian cities, daily wagers gather every morning at large intersections or crossroads (nakas) where they seek work for the day from small construction contractors. In the satellite city of Navi Mumbai (New Mumbai), some of these daily wagers are reconstituting themselves into a class of ‘disadvantaged, crossroad workers’. This article provides an ethnographic narration of how class is experienced, constituted and asserted at a street crossroad. Through the space of the naka, daily wagers combine their different experiences of caste, religious and regional disadvantage into a collective identity of crossroad workers. As a collective, they seek and gain recognition as workers by the state, even if their everyday terms of work continue to be largely unprotected by law. While such reframing of disadvantage has long been part of social movements in western India, their contemporary politics is conditioned by workers’ alienation from new town‐making projects, where they are seen as temporary labor migrants and must contend with landed, socio‐politically dominant groups vying for control over the city. This article contributes to growing scholarship on the resocialization of labour movements, as both work and class organizing change dramatically, particularly in contentious urban spaces like Navi Mumbai.

The impact of internal labor migration on morbidity rates with temporary disability in the Russian Federation

Introduction. One of the most important indicators of the health of the working population is the incidence of temporary disability. The statistical data do not take into account the temporary labor migration of the population, which distorts the idea of the morbidity of the permanent population at the level of the subjects of the Russian Federation and municipalities. The study aims to carry out a comparative assessment of the temporary disability (ТD) level and rating places of the subjects of the Russian Federation on the basis of statistical indicators "Number of cases of TD" and "Number of days of TD" per 100 employees and calculated indicators per 100 employed in the economy. Materials and methods. The article tells about the use of federal statistical observation data. Specialists have made their own calculations of indicators of the level of temporary disability by the number of cases and days per 100 employed in the economy. A direct ranking was carried out in descending order of all the studied indicators. The authors also conducted a direct ranking in descending order of all the studied indicators and performed a comparative analysis of the rating places of the subjects of the Russian Federation according to the level of temporary disability, according to official statistical data per 100 employees and calculated data per 100 employed. Results. In almost 30% of the subjects of the Russian Federation, significant changes were detected in 20 or more rating places, both with the shift of regions into groups with higher levels and with lower levels of morbidity. Limitations. The materials used in this study did not take into account the gender and age characteristics of morbidity. Conclusion. At the present stage, it is necessary to develop new methodological approaches for the analysis of the temporary disability at the regional and municipal levels, their introduction into the system of social and hygienic monitoring and the system of risk management for public health. The use of the indicator "number of people employed in the economy" to analyze temporary disability at the territorial (regional, municipal) level more accurately reflects the level of morbidity of the permanent population living in the study area. Ethics. The conclusion of the local Ethics Committee is not required for conducting the study.

The role of social support in the decision to migrate for childbirth: qualitative evidence from India.

Temporary Childbirth Migration (TCM) involves women returning to their natal homes during or after pregnancy, a common but understudied practice in India and South Asia. This study examines social support practices influencing TCM decisions among Indian women. Factors such as family support, especially from husband, in-laws and parents, play a crucial role in migration decisions during the perinatal period. Understanding these factors is essential for improving maternal and child health outcomes and for developing targeted policies and interventions. Cultural influences also contribute to TCM decisions, impacting the timing, duration, and motivations behind women's choices to migrate during or after delivery. Our study was conducted at the Vadu Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in Western Maharashtra, India. We conducted 41 in-depth interviews with triads of women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law from Vadu HDSS, focusing on perceptions, timing, reasons, decision-making, and support related to Temporary Childbirth Migration (TCM). Participants varied in age, education, occupation, marriage type, migration type, delivery method, and included women who recently delivered or had infants up to two years old. The qualitative data were analyzed using both rapid analysis and traditional analysis using coded transcripts, incorporating both predefined and emergent codes to capture a wide range of participant characteristics and experiences. We later categorized our findings in Social support domains. Social support, including emotional, financial, instrumental, and informational, is a critical factor in TCM. Emotional support from mothers is highly valued, providing a stress-free environment. Financial support from husbands, in-laws, or parents influences the decision, with financial responsibilities sometimes dictating the choice of residence. Instrumental support, such as help with household chores, is essential, with varying levels of support at different locations. Informational support from experienced family members also guides expectant mothers. Healthcare access, household status, and the role of husbands further impact TCM decisions. Women prioritize proximity to medical facilities, comfort, and freedom in their natal homes. The inclusive decision-making process often involves women, in-laws, parents, and husbands. The study's findings highlight the complex interplay of social support, cultural norms, and practical considerations in TCM decisions, underscoring the need for more research to understand and support women's choices during the perinatal period. In conclusion, social support is a key driver of TCM and women's status in their households affects their support needs. Recognizing the importance of emotional, financial, informational, and instrumental support will help healthcare providers and policymakers to better assist expectant mothers, promoting positive maternal and child health outcomes.

Valeria Ottonelli & Tiziana Torresi, the Right Not to Stay: Justice in Migration, the Liberal Democratic State, and the Case of Temporary Migration Projects

Valeria Ottonelli & Tiziana Torresi, the Right Not to Stay: Justice in Migration, the Liberal Democratic State, and the Case of Temporary Migration Projects

Addressing energy and mobility poverty in the Middle East: lived experience, spatial injustice, and temporary migrants in the United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACT Energy and mobility poverty are often experienced together by vulnerable and disadvantaged segments of society. Effectively addressing these issues requires identifying specific groups within unique contexts and devising context-specific interventions. Based on extensive original research, this study uncovers the energy, mobility and broader socio-economic challenges faced by working class citizens housed in Abu Dhabi's labour camps and how these challenges ultimately impact their quality of life and health. Our investigation focuses on the themes of marginalisation and spatial justice to show how labour camp residents often feel excluded from society and isolate themselves from the city and its activities. In exploring the subject of poverty and vulnerability, we show how low-income and living conditions are intertwined with energy and mobility poverty and, hence, the need for holistic solutions. To remediate these circumstances, we provide a set of policy recommendations, including increased monitoring of labour camp developers to ensure compliance with UAE regulations, guaranteeing that labour camps are part of urban planning and implementing safe soft mobility options so mobility can be achieved without requiring a personal vehicle.

Sojourners, Not Settlers: Temporary Labor Migration Since the Nineteenth Century

Systems of labor mobility across borders in which states assign a fixed duration to workers’ sojourn—temporary labor migration schemes (TLMSs)—have enabled employers to recruit workers while claiming to avoid the presumed negative consequences of settlement and integration. While existing explanations of TLMSs focus primarily on structural determinants, this article introduces a cumulative contextual model. It begins with a political-economic analysis of labor migration and addresses its gaps by adding an analysis of the ideological legitimations of TLMSs, as well as a consideration of the complex of rules and organizations that implement and regulate state-managed temporary migration. Building on this approach, I propose a typology of TLMSs according to dominant actors, rules that govern the labor relationship, and the gap between discourse about the goals of TLMSs and outcomes. The analysis has implications for immigration and citizenship regimes, for their assumptions of permanence, and for the nature of work.

There and back again: dynamics of temporary labor migration, insights from rural India.

Temporary labor migration is a household phenomenon among rural communities in India. This study seeks to understand the subjective experiences influencing the temporariness of labor migration among internal migrants in India by examining various factors such as migration conditions, motivation, migration arrangements, coping and adaptation strategies, and determinants of stay. To achieve this objective, the current qualitative study utilized 14 in-depth interviews and 2 focus group discussions to investigate the temporary nature of labor migration among internal migrants in India. Our findings reveal that migration decisions are rational choices made collectively at the household level, considering socio-economic outcomes. We also find that social networks and contractors facilitate migration arrangements and job connections, and migrants employ various strategies to reduce costs and cope with expenses in urban areas. However, migration destinations often fail to meet migrants' expectations, exposing them to low-wage employment and precarious working and living conditions, which are detrimental to their health. Limited housing and sanitation facilities further contribute to the challenges faced by migrants. Work conditions, including poor wages and high job demands, also affect their well-being. These findings highlight the need for improved support systems that address accommodation challenges, work conditions, and the overall welfare of labor migrants.

Temporary migration and wage inequality: The effects of skills, nationality and migration status in Aotearoa New Zealand

Temporary migration and wage inequality: The effects of skills, nationality and migration status in Aotearoa New Zealand

The Political Economy of Seigneurial Lordship in Flanders, c.1250–1570

Abstract The recent debate between Chris Wickham and Shami Ghosh exposes different interpretations of the political economy of Europe, with Wickham arguing for the persistence of the feudal economy up to about 1700, and Ghosh imagining a distinct phase in which economic development was not yet capitalist but was no longer decisively shaped by the demands of lords. This article contributes to the discussion with the story of Flanders, where two contrasting trajectories interlocked. On the one hand, coastal Flanders saw the rise of agrarian capitalism from the fourteenth century onwards, when small-scale farms were amalgamated into large agricultural enterprises that relied on the wage-labour of dispossessed peasants and their descendants as well as temporary labour migration from nearby regions. Inland Flanders, by contrast, saw the persistence of a peasant society dominated by small-scale landownership. ‘Middle-class lordship’ was critically important for this divergence. The peasants of inland Flanders acquired an unusual measure of control over seigneurial courts and their regulatory capacities, using them to stimulate the commercialization of society while thwarting experiments with agrarian capitalism. The Flemish evidence thus complicates narratives about feudalism in Europe, showing that the spectrum of possibilities in the political economy of lordship deserves closer scrutiny.

The determinants of mental health inequalities between Chinese migrants and non-migrants during the Shanghai 2022 lockdown: a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition

BackgroundThe mental health inequality between migrants and non-migrants was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying key determinants of this inequality is essential in promoting health equity.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited Shanghai residents by purposive sampling during the city-wide lockdown (from April 29 to June 1, 2022) using an online questionnaire. Migration statuses (non-migrants, permanent migrants, and temporary migrants) were identified by migration experience and by household registration in Shanghai. Mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and problematic anger) were assessed by self-report scales. The nonlinear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to quantify mental health inequality (i.e., differences in predicted probabilities between migration groups) and the contribution of expected correlates (i.e., change in predicted probability associated with variation in the correlate divided by the group difference).ResultsThe study included 2738 participants (771 [28.2%] non-migrants; 389 [14.2%] permanent migrants; 1578 [57.6%] temporary migrants). We found inequalities in depression (7.1%) and problematic anger (7.8%) between permanent migrants and non-migrants, and inequalities in anxiety (7.3%) and loneliness (11.3%) between temporary migrants and non-migrants. When comparing permanent migrants and non-migrants, age and social capital explained 12.7% and 17.1% of the inequality in depression, and 13.3% and 21.4% of the inequality in problematic anger. Between temporary migrants and non-migrants, age and social capital also significantly contributed to anxiety inequality (23.0% and 18.2%) and loneliness inequality (26.5% and 16.3%), while monthly household income (20.4%) and loss of monthly household income (34.0%) contributed the most to anxiety inequality.ConclusionsSignificant inequalities in depression and problematic anger among permanent migrants and inequalities in anxiety and loneliness among temporary migrants were observed. Strengthening social capital and economic security can aid in public health emergency preparedness and promote mental health equity among migrant populations.

The ontology, measurement, and features of temporary internal migration in selected countries of Asia

ABSTRACT Temporary internal migration is an important livelihood strategy but there have been inconsistencies in its conceptualisation and measurement which limit understanding of the phenomenon across diverse geographical contexts. This paper explores the ontological category of temporary internal migration and how it is defined and measured in eight Asian countries. We identify three broad approaches to measurement: Place of enumeration; Multilocality and Administrative measures. Using these data, we undertake comparisons of migration intensity, age profiles, and rural- to-urban flows across countries in our sample. Our findings indicate that temporary migration ranges between 0.3 to 2.9 per cent of the population—likely an underestimate of internal temporary mobility. Applying an average intensity of 1.5 per cent to all Asian countries yields an estimate of 71 million temporary internal migrants in any given year. Analysis of age profiles reveals that temporary internal migration peaks not only at young adult ages, but also at older ages in selected countries, pointing to the importance of consumption-related movements in some settings. The geographical patterns are also diverse with rural-to-urban flows matched by significant rural-to-rural and urban-to-rural flows. The paper concludes with recommendations for advancing both the conceptualisation and measurement of temporary internal migration.

‘Under the magnolia tree, our youth’: an autoethnography on friendship and sisterhood among female international doctoral students in New Zealand

ABSTRACT This paper demonstrates how my friendship with three other female Vietnamese doctoral students in New Zealand grew into an ‘academic sisterhood’ which was forged as an emplaced form of sociality that encouraged solidarity among us. As four female Vietnamese PhD students in New Zealand who shared intersecting identities as Vietnamese temporary migrants, women, mothers, and PhD students, we provided support for and learned from each other. The sisterhood strengthened my sense of belonging to both my home and host countries, and created a learning space for myself. I argue that the academic sisterhood was far more complexly imagined and meaningful than simple bonding networks of co-ethnic friendships, embracing the mixed emplaced and transnational nature of my friendship.

Migrant Employment: A Blessing in Disguise from the ‘Unseen’?

Migrant workers are hired mainly to fill the demand in dirty, dangerous, and demeaning (3D) jobs in Malaysia. However, the transformation of temporary migrants into entrepreneurs while in migration, resulted in migrants’ entrepreneurship registration conundrum because they were only allowed to register for companies with private limited by shares. Currently, business registration as sole proprietors, enterprises, and limited liability partnerships are restricted to Malaysian citizens only. During the pandemic, it was observed that migrants faced heightened difficulties with marginalization and discrimination. Social media comments were captured to observe public perception towards migrants’ entrepreneurship in COVID-19 environment. A netnography analysis was conducted on eight official government agencies' Facebook pages, where 218 Facebook posts related to migrants’ entrepreneurship were observed for data collection to conduct thematic analysis. Common themes captured in the comments related to COVID-19 shaped public opinions on the topic. It was revealed that Malaysian public felt that something good resulted from COVID-19 when more enforcement measures were done during the pandemic to mitigate migrants’ enterprises. Based on thematic analysis of the comments, users criticized the lack of actions from the authorities in the past and that COVID-19 resulted in more enforcement measures due to the perceptions that migrants are responsible in spreading disease. The public has also supported such actions taken by the authority as it is seen as an opportunity to create more openings for locals to be involved in businesses especially for those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Keywords: Migrant entrepreneurship, COVID-19, migrant marginalization, netnography, Facebook.