Temporary Migration Research Articles

Climate Change Impact on Migration Situation in Coastal Delta Belt of Bangladesh: A Qualitative Explorative Study

Climate change is one kind of erratic behaviour and hazards of environmental consequences such as floods, flash floods, drought, heat & cold waves, cyclones, high and low tides, river bank erosion, salinity intrusion, etc. The household survey and qualitative study approaches were performed to explore the changes in vulnerable peoples’ ecological migration perspective in disaster-affected southern part of Bangladesh. People usually move to the nearest town and peri-urban areas to seek jobs due to concurrent cyclones, storm surges, and floods in the coastal areas. Again, heavy rainfall and flash-flood conditions usually create intra-district temporary migration to maintain their daily livelihood smoothly. In the char lands, this migration takes place due to riverbank erosion where family members were forced to relocate to a new residence. It occurs when the income-generating activities of people are disrupted by ecological events. Families leave their homes during the disaster period and return, once the conditions are back to normal. Movement for rural people needs constant land management systems including governance, ownership rights and access and technical support for financing land use and making productive use of land to cope with frequent natural calamities. The government of Bangladesh therefore must consider these challenges and gradually improve its capacity to prepare its technology to renovate the vulnerable local people into a climate resilient one.

Causes of child labor and working conditions in Ethiopia: evidence from temporary inter-rural child labor migrants from Sekela district

Child labor migration is a critical issue that has received limited attention from academic and policy domains in many developing countries. This article analysis the causes of child labor migration and working conditions at the destination of temporary inter-rural child labor migration from Sekela district, Northwest Ethiopia. Mixed research methods is employed. Quantitative data is collected from randomly selected 204 respondents engaged in child labor migration. Focus group discussion, informal conversational interviews, and observation are also undertaken to gather qualitative data. Most child labor migrants participate in child labor migration due to localized economic constraints, which are reflected through a desire to have modern goods and cloth, food scarcity, and resource degradation. Also, the expansion of commercial farms at destination areas directly or indirectly due to the globalized market indicates that migrant children’s local labor cannot be delinked from material realities created by both national and international economic policy. The income from child labor migration supports children and their households’ livelihood, though it is at the expense of children’s education as well as exposure to worse working conditions at their destination in terms of exploitation, underpayment, malnutrition, breaching of an agreement by employers, and harassment. Hence, to exploit the benefits and minimize the risks, balanced measures should be taken at the origin and destination. Education programs should be supportive in increasing food productivity and assisting households to diversify their means of income by allowing them to participate in non-farm activities. It is also essential to the establishment of support groups in migrant destination places and the expansion of labor inspectorates who continuously supervise the safety of child labor migrants.

The impact of transnationally mobile migrants on immigrants’ educational perception and practice: the case of Koreans and Korean Americans

ABSTRACT New waves of Asian migration to the US are comprised of not only new first-generation immigrants but also transnationally mobile migrants – temporary migrants that move between the home and host countries, spending significant pre-planned periods of time in the host country for specific purposes such as education and employment. Focusing on Korean and Korean American perception and usage of private supplementary education, I examine how the contemporary homeland norms and practices transnationally mobile Koreans transmit impact immigrant Koreans’ education. Drawing on 51 in-depth interviews with Korean American and transnationally mobile Korean students and parents, I find that transnationally mobile Koreans have become a significant reference group for Korean Americans in assessing their education. While education of Asian Americans is often measured against that of white Americans, or native-born Americans as a whole, transnationally mobile migrants from Asian Americans’ ethnic homelands provide a different reference group for Asian American education. In response to the educational norms and practices transnational Koreans transmit, Korean Americans reevaluate their education and formulate educational strategies accordingly. These findings consider how transnational replenishment impacts immigrant experiences in the host society and illuminates the significance of accounting for interactions among different transnational migrants in transnational social spaces.

Categorie discrete e percezioni continue: per un lessico delle nuove migrazioni

This article investigates 20 qualitative interviews collected with new migrants of Italian origins settled in Toronto (Ontario) and in London (UK). The aim of the study is to identify the identity markers used by migrants to express their feeling of belonging to Italy and to Canada/UK and to position themselves into two different categories, ex­pat and migrants. According to previous quantitative studies, these two labels refer to two different patterns of immigration: expat in fact in­cludes contemporary skilled and temporary migrations, while migrant deals with unskilled migrations. So, the study of identity markers used in qualitative interviews is crucial in order to investigate how migrants position themselves in the host Country. The results provide evidence of a deep distinction of two different groups of speakers: the first one is composed of those Italians who con­sider themselves as expats and this is evident since they report in their interviews all those identity markers discussed in the literature as typical of this kind of migration (level of education, social status, use of English). The second one is, instead, composed of those Italians who consider themselves as migrants using those markers already reported in the bibli­ography for migrants (and not for expats, such as the poor use of English, the low level of education and the temporary job).

Liberal Convergence or Differential Exclusion? Temporary Labor Migration Policy in Japan and Korea

Abstract The rapid industrialization of countries in East Asia and the resulting labor shortage are challenging established theories in research on migration policy. Studies argue that the persistence of temporary labor migration programs in this region contests the liberal convergence thesis, which suggests that democratization inevitably leads to more open migration policies. This article revisits the theoretical debate, focusing on conceptual equivalence across time and space. In a comparative policy study of Japan and Korea, we examine the development of two temporary labor migration programs (the Specified Skilled Worker program and the Employment Permit System). Our findings demonstrate how migration policies alternately intersect and diverge throughout time and across policy dimensions. The article contributes to comparative research in migration policy by highlighting the significance of historically informed and empirically equivalent analysis of migration policies.

International Children and the Institutional Infrastructures of Schools in Finland

Growing numbers of children are moving between countries because of their parent(s)’ careers. The temporary labour migration of highly educated professionals – sometimes called career expatriates or transnational corporate elites (Amit 2002; Fechter 2007) – is increasing in various parts of the world. Finland, among many countries, welcomes such professionals both because they offer skills that are needed in the global competitive markets and because the country’s domestic population is ageing. Often, these professionals do not intend to stay permanently but rather to return to their native countries or move on to other locations after a few years. The international professionals are often accompanied by their spouses and children. In this paper, I focus on a central institutional infrastructure in these children’s lives, namely education and schools. I elaborate on international schools in Finland, and on the children’s position within this infrastructure. The paper is based on extensive ethnographic research in an international school in a Finnish town.

Embracing hope: can social reproduction change ideologies of temporary labour migration?

Housing and care are key sites of social reproduction that shape and are shaped by the labour process. As a Theory into Practice contribution, this article proposes social reproduction as a corrective that can restore the ‘human’ to discussions on temporary labour migration, including the potential for agency. Traditionally, ‘housing’ and ‘care’ are treated as disparate objects of regulation, which are further fragmented by the process of policy making itself. The article proposes ideas, some reflected in the International Labour Organization (ILO’s) recommendations, to turn aspirational values into lived realities to improve the historical disadvantages faced by temporary migrant workers. While it is widely accepted that this is necessary, we should remain hopeful that it is also achievable.

UKRAINIAN FORCED MIGRANTS’ INTEGRATION IN EUROPEAN LABOUR MARKET: GERMAN VS POLISH CASE

The tsunami of forced migration caused by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 poses a significant challenge to the socio-economic systems of host European countries, in particular Germany and Poland, which are the two main destination countries for displaced Ukrainians. Despite relatively similar statistics on the number and demographic structure of Ukrainian forced immigrants, the two countries differ significantly in terms of the level of labour market integration of refugees, which is a key factor determining their social integration and economic outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to study the peculiarities and common features of the integration of Ukrainian forced migrants in the labour markets of Germany and Poland, taking into account the pre-war experience of these countries in attracting Ukrainian economic migrants. Methodology. The study is a comparative analysis of the pre-war and forced migration trajectories of the two countries based on data from the German and Polish statistical services and Eurostat in 2010-2022. Results. The article discusses the redistribution of the main demographic characteristics in the profile of Ukrainian migrants in the post-war period, which led to an increase in the share of women with higher education in the demographic structure of migrants. These demographic differences, coupled with the peculiarities of European labour markets, have affected the employment prospects of Ukrainian refugees in European countries of destination. The pre-war experience of temporary labour migration from Ukraine and social ties between refugees and members of the diaspora were recognised as factors that facilitated the integration of Ukrainian refugees. The analysis showed that in addition to the geographical and cultural proximity between Ukraine and Poland, the circular labour migration model that dominated relations between Ukraine and Poland contributed to the rapid integration of Ukrainian refugees into the labour market after the outbreak of full-scale war. The lack of German language skills is the most common reason for the lower participation of Ukrainians in the German labour market compared to the Polish one. In Germany, favourable labour market conditions combined with integration policies facilitate access to the labour market for Ukrainian refugees in the long term. Practical implications. By examining the previous circular seasonal migration of Ukrainians over the past decade and their labour market integration in specific destination countries after the outbreak of war, this paper provides a broader perspective for the study of the transition from forced to permanent migration. Value/Originality. Given the global growth of both seasonal labour migrants and forms of movement, the key findings of the study provide a better understanding of these changing categories of mobility and their implications.

Looking for Safe Haven in a City Torn Apart by War: Narratives of agency from internally displaced persons in the southern Philippines

In this paper, I interrogate the dominant representation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in humanitarian discourse as helpless victims in need of rescue. Based on the stories of IDP women and gender diverse individuals in the Philippines affected by the Zamboanga City siege in 2013, I illustrate how they exercised agency to shape their trajectories of displacement. The capacity of Filipino IDPs to contend with their displacement is shaped by their power as bakwit (evacuees), and by their class and ethnoreligious identities. While Christian Filipino IDPs had access to material, financial, and social resources, allowing them to engage in temporary migration after displacement, Muslim Filipino IDPs with limited access to these same resources found themselves in unwanted mobility and prolonged situations of displacement. Yet, Muslim Filipino IDPs do not lack agency, as they continue to actively and consciously forge new strategies to regain a sense of home in extended exile. Ultimately, while identifying bakwit power as a useful conceptual tool to make legible how IDPs exercised control at different stages of their displacement, embracing such a framework should not negate the long history of political violence in the region that continues to keep some people on the move.

Habitat use of barbel (Barbus barbus) in a restored urban Danube tributary

Tributaries play a vital role in fish spawning and recruitment, significantly influencing mainstem river fish populations. However, in the Anthropocene era, tributaries within river networks suffered ecological degradation due to fragmentation and channelization. This has led to reduced distribution ranges and declining populations of various riverine species, underscoring the urgency of conservation and rehabilitation efforts. Our study explores the potential for reintroducing fish from the mainstem Danube River into the Wien River, an urban tributary that has undergone partial rehabilitation. We assessed habitat use and movement patterns of 20 adult barbel (Barbus barbus), a species classified as ‘near threatened’ in Austria, collected from the Danube River during the spawning season. These barbel were tagged with radio telemetry tags and relocated into the upper reaches of the Wien River, surmounting several artificial barriers in the lower sections. Although spawning activity was not observed among the barbel, possibly due to prevailing water temperatures, our data suggest that the Wien River could function as a viable temporary habitat. Barbel were notably inclined to inhabit deeper pool and run habitats. Their daily movements and home ranges were relatively limited, ranging from 0.0 to 1.1 km and 100 m to 2.9 km, respectively. One contributing factor to restricted movement was the presence of beaver and knotweed dams, which created temporary migration obstacles. On average, the barbel remained within the system for more than a month. Most of these fish migrated downstream at the onset of a significant high-flow event. Our assessment suggests that while the Wien River may not serve as a permanent habitat, it could function as a temporary habitat for migratory fish. However, to ensure accurate assessments of the restored Wien River as a spawning habitat, it is imperative to reevaluate the findings under stable spawning conditions and gather comprehensive data on relevant abiotic factors. This study advocates for the restoration of longitudinal connectivity between tributaries and mainstem rivers as a means to counteract biodiversity loss in Anthropocene river ecosystems.

‘We did not want to marry then, but’: understanding early marriage among Muslims in the context of the ‘Kerala model’ of development

Kerala, the Indian state with the highest reported level of social development, faces a challenge with persistent early marriage, particularly among Muslims in Malappuram. This study explores the sociocultural factors influencing this situation, in which child marriage rates among Muslims are significantly higher than those of Hindus and Christians. Employing a qualitative research strategy within a specific Malappuram mahallu, a Muslim-majority village cluster encompassing three villages, we identify a multifaceted interplay of micro and macro forces perpetuating early marriage. Lack of social networks, stemming from limited higher education options and career opportunities, restricts girls’ choices and makes them susceptible to parental pressure to marry early. Parents, on the other hand, often view early marriage as an appropriate solution to their anxieties concerning parental responsibility, dowry and family honour. This pressure is amplified by the narrative promoted by religious leaders who portray early marriage as the ideal path. This narrative, in turn, resonates with a subset of young men, particularly temporary Gulf migrants who prefer to marry adolescent girls, thereby perpetuating the cycle. We also argue that, unlike most regions in India, poverty and illiteracy are not the primary drivers of early marriage among Muslims in Malappuram.

Socio‐Legal Production of the Tourist‐Seasonal Labourer for the Finnish Berry Industry

The article investigates the phenomenon of precarious labour within the Finnish wild berry industry, focusing on the socio‐legal dimensions that enable short‐term “just‐in‐time” migration, primarily from Thailand, for the berry season. Since the initial 2005 recruitment of Thai citizens to engage in forest berry picking for the Finnish berry industry, the industry has become heavily reliant on migrant labour. At the same time, the pickers’ situation exemplifies a case of unregulated labour, as pickers are categorised as a group outside of labour laws in Finland. By asking how this “non‐work”—berry picking without labour rights—has repeatedly been justified on a policy level, the article provides a case study that unpacks the creation of a racialised migrant labour force through a statecraft of differential inclusion, in an arrangement regarded to advance rural economies. Empirically, the article draws on an analysis of policy documents through which a particular kind of temporary migration corridor is administered.

Isolation, opportunity, and the ‘third place’: The experiences of Timorese seasonal workers in Australia

AbstractOrganised, temporary labour migration from the Global South to wealthier countries is a growing and sometimes problematic phenomenon. This article considers Timorese involvement in the Australian Seasonal Workers Program (SWP) in relation to this trend. Drawing primarily on semi‐structured interviews and participant observation undertaken among an interconnected group of 50 Timorese seasonal workers across Australia and Timor‐Leste between 2016 and 2021, we found that geographical and social isolation and limited leisure all proved challenges while working in Australia. In some cases, it appears that the workers were able to lean upon their own social networks and local churches as a way to mitigate these challenges. We argue that, in considering the welfare of workers in temporary migration programs such as the SWP, it is important to be aware of the role played by informal groups that are formally outside the scheme itself.

‘It's Time to Make Your Way Home’: Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for Multicultural Policies in Australia

ABSTRACT Governments around the world acted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through lockdowns and border closures that had specific impacts on temporary residents (migrants, asylum seekers and refugees). In Australia, there were differential responses across states and territories, and a critical distinction made at Federal government level between permanent residents and citizens as compared to temporary migrants. The result has been the continued Othering of certain groups of Australians of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as well as migrants and refugees on the basis of racial characteristics and visa status. This paper will consider the period where arguably multicultural policies were ‘on hold’ by investigating the timeline leading up to major policy decisions and the immediate and longer-term after-effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arguably the way in which multicultural communities were treated has shown the superficial nature of multicultural policies in Australia and the lack of more solid foundations in support of what now demographically constitutes a majority of the country's population. Drawing on secondary data analysis, the paper will outline the distance these actions have put between political leaders and multicultural communities, and queries the implications for a sustained commitment to multicultural policies in an era of temporary migration.

Nuancing transnational movements: Reading vulnerability in on-screen representation of temporary labour migration

Judith Butler observes that the organization of economic and social relationships, as well as the presence or absence of supportive infrastructures and social and political institutions, play a substantial role in shaping our vulnerability. In the age of globalization, we must adopt a nuanced approach to studying migration, which is informed by the diverse sociopolitical contexts of the phenomenon. Accordingly, an insightful evaluation of the migrant condition should be governed by a thorough understanding of the migrant’s legal, social and financial vulnerabilities, which can determine the possibilities of crisis (management) and security measures feasible in the immigrant environment. This article links the study of transnational movements with the socio-economic status of the migrant and the absence of essential sociopolitical infrastructures in the receiving country. While the former factor acts as the driving force behind economic migration, the two factors combinedly contribute to the migrants’ vulnerability in the new terrain and urge the subaltern migrants to affiliate with their homeland. This article analyses two Malayalam films depicting temporary labour migration, Take Off (2017) and C U Soon (2020), where the social and financial status of the individual predicate the migrant condition and determine the strategies of survival that s/he has access to. The article will be structured into three sections: the first section will look at the primary texts and examine the texts’ cogency in representing temporary labour migration. The second section will introduce the reader to the theoretical framework of vulnerability and precarity proposed by Judith Butler. Finally, the third section will discuss the primary texts in light of the theories discussed in the previous section and examine their ramifications on the bodily constitution of migrant life, thereby opening the possibility of adopting a revised approach to studying the phenomenon of migration.

Labour migration as a solution to an ageing population?

Labour migration is often mentioned as a way to mitigate the impact of ageing in wealthy societies. This article analyses the impact of labour migration on the welfare level and old-age dependency ratio of a prosperous ageing country, the Netherlands. If labour migrants are considered to be part of the population of the host country, they only contribute to a higher welfare level if their productivity is higher than per capita GDP. If they stay permanently and form a family, their productivity will need to be higher than the average labour productivity of the incumbent workforce. Labour migrants will mitigate the rise of the old-age dependency ratio, but only if they only stay in the host country temporarily. Therefore, only selective and temporary labour migration will relieve the ‘burden’ of an ageing society.

Between Marketization and Demarketization: Reconfiguration of the Migration Industry in the Agricultural Sector in Israel

This paper focuses on the consequences of the implementation of a bilateral agreement between Israel and Thailand for migrant workers in the agricultural sector. Its purpose is to shed light on the key mechanisms of the transition from the marketization to demarketization of recruiting migrant workers, and to show how this transition affects the forms of labor recruitment and its consequences for the labor migrants. The study is based on three face-to-face surveys conducted among 180 agricultural workers from Thailand. Fifty-five were surveyed in 2011 before the implementation of the bilateral agreement, and 125 were interviewed after the agreement was implemented. Relying on a “before” and “after design, we first highlight the ways in which the private recruitment industry operated in Israel in the context of a state-sponsored temporary labor migration program, identifying the actors involved in the process and explaining how they profited from the labor recruitment. Second, we shed light on the importance of bilateral agreements in eliminating illicit practices for recruiting foreign workers in Israel and its practical consequences for the Thai migrants arriving under the new arrangement. We discuss our findings in light of the theories presented in the paper.

‘A smoked salmon salad and a glass of Bordeaux.’ Cultivating social distinction and negotiating femininity through the consumption of Western food in post-reform China

ABSTRACT Consumption of Western food and wine has been on the rise in the Chinese middle-class since Deng Xiao Ping’s 1980s reforms and is particularly prevalent among the young urban generation who grew up in post-Maoist China. Ethnographic observations at events organized by the Food & Beverage Unit of French Consulate in Shanghai and 10 semi-structured interviews with Chinese young female professionals belonging to the French business circles and French gastronomy professionals were undertaken. Food photographs on the social media WeChat were also examined in a cyber-ethnography. Drawing on Farrer’s concept of culinary Occidentalism and on the role of food in post-socialist states, this paper explores how temporary migrations as international students and culinary tourism in France shape a cosmopolitan capital which young Chinese female professionals use to help their peers domesticate the complex world of Western gastronomy in Shanghai. I argue that through their appreciation of French gastronomy, they perform social distinction and negotiate a post-socialist, transnationally connected urban femininity. Their search for refined, healthy and “authentic” Western and French food and wine consumption, frequently displayed on social media, is embedded in a complex realm of glamorized representations of Western modernity and French romanticism.

Third-country hiring: The case of Overseas Filipino Workers in Taiwan to Poland

This study explores the complexities of third-country serial labor migration among Filipino factory workers, specifically those moving from Taiwan to Poland—an activity deemed illegal by the Philippine government. Utilizing qualitative methods, the research conducts in-depth interviews with participants like Mae, Rick, and Justin, complemented by a key informant interview. The findings reveal a nuanced decision-making process, with participants expressing a desire for enhanced job conditions, contractual flexibility, and career advancement opportunities in Poland. Despite the Philippines' oversight and support for temporary migration, the practice of third-country hiring raises legal and ethical concerns. Without proper authorization from the Philippine government, recruiting workers through a third country is deemed illegal. To protect migrant workers, established procedures, including obtaining an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), are implemented to ensure lawful deployment. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding serial labor migration, providing valuable insights that can inform policy frameworks and practices aimed at enhancing the welfare and protection of migrant workers within the global labor market. Through analysis of the experiences and challenges faced by Filipino factory workers engaging in third-country migration, this research seeks to promote a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in labor migration processes and advocate for measures to safeguard the rights and well-being of migrant workers worldwide.

Migrating injustices in the small city: drought-impacted interstate migrant workers’ experiences in Tiruppur’s sanitation sector

ABSTRACT Climate stresses like droughts amplify economic precarity, pushing low-income, caste-oppressed communities across India to pursue temporary rural-urban migration as an adaptation strategy. This paper develops an intersectional framework on ‘migrating injustices’ to examine how caste and regional identity mediate interstate rural-urban migrants’ experiences of vulnerabilities and injustices, particularly as these experiences move and endure with migration, shaping migrants’ adaptive abilities. The framework is applied to trace the injustices that a group of 800-odd drought-impacted, caste-oppressed, landless persons from central India experience through their adverse economic incorporation as sanitation workers in Tiruppur’s privatized sanitation sector in southern India. Findings reveal that a history of caste oppression and uneven development in their home region produced unequal drought impacts for our informants, pushing them to migrate. However, migrants’ caste and regional identity combine with their climate and economic precarity to direct their migration into precarious, unjust working conditions and employer-provided, environmentally risky accommodations—both removed from local socio-political networks, undermining migrants’ ability to contest injustices in Tiruppur. In highlighting the translocal and trans-sectoral intersections between the migrating environmental, economic, and caste-based injustices for circular migrants, the paper argues that eliminating migrating injustices is crucial for achieving transformative adaptation and urban climate justice.