ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY ESSAY

1

GGR209- Economic Geography

Migrant Labour

Class Outline

1. Arguments Against Migration 2. Trends in the Labour Market 3. Migrant Types 4. Migrant Labour and Places of Settlement 5. Migrant Labour and Places of Origin 6. Migration Industry

Arguments Against Migration

1. The flow of migrants across borders undermines control of the state.

• In reality: border crossings are very much __________ and regulated by the state

2. Migrants are a drain on the economic resources of a country.

• In reality: this varies spatially depending on the regimes of social ________ and social services of a place

Arguments Against Migration 3. Migrants take jobs from those who are locals in a particular place.

• In reality: this is often difficult to determine because it requires us to know whether those jobs would have ______ without migrants willing to take them and whether local residents would be willing to take these jobs in their ________.

4. Migrants undercut local wages and working conditions.

• In reality: impacts on wages are on specific _________ _ jobs related to certain segments of the labour force where migrants are competing for work

Trends in the Labour Market

Migrants are a symptom of _____________ working conditions rather than a cause. The increasing use of migrant employees, especially in low-paid work, is part of a much wider trend that has seen labour markets changing.

Trends in the Labour Market

Precarious Employment:

• describes employment with less ________ and security and with fewer benefits. It usually describes unpredictable, temporary work rather than full-time permanent work.

Sub-Contracting & Agency Work:

• describes employers in the public and private sectors that are ___________ work out to companies

Trends in the Labour Market

Deepening Inequality:

• more and more people are living at the ‘____________’ of the labour market (i.e. low pay)

Automation & Mechanization:

• _______ jobs replaced in factories, offices, farms, etc.

Trends in the Labour Market Expanding Care Work:

• With both parents likely to be working to support the family, a large __________ workforce is needed. With an aging society, elder care work is necessary as well.

Globalization of Production:

• The ease with with capital can take advantage of ___________ labour impacts jobs elsewhere.

• If those are the trends in the broader labour market, where do migrants fit into the picture?

• Being a migrant engaged in these types of work is one further form of ___________________.

• Migrants often have ________ rights and end up working in these new conditions.

Trends in the Labour Market

Migrant Types

• Not all migrants are the same – they come in many varieties and often it is the __________ power of the state that defines who legally ________ and who does not belong in a given territory.

Migrant Types

Elite Migrants

• those with ________ incomes with management positions in top level firms

• governments often put into place favourable _______, tax structures and regulation to meet their needs

Migrant Types

Economic Immigration Programs

• those with special ___________ and stills according to the needs of a local labour market

• higher levels of _____________, professional credentials, work experiences, language fluency, age and family connections within the destination are all considered favourable

Migrant Types

Skilled Return Migration

• those who work study and live ________ but then return to their ‘home’ country

• they play a role in economic ___________

• governments offer ______ citizenship, tax incentives and relocation subsidies

Internal Migrants

• those who migrate at national or __________ scale • China and the European Union provide 2 examples

Migrant Types

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Thirty- largest-interprovincial-migration-flows-in-China- 2005-10-Source-State-Council_fig1_330692235

Migrant Types

Temporary Foreign Workers:

• those who are permitted to work in another country where they do not have _________ residence

• have fewer rights and could face the threat of deportation or nonrenewal from future _______

• visas _______them to work for only 1 specified employer and to do only 1 specified type of work

Migrant Types

Undocumented Migrants:

• those who are the most _________ because they live and work without legal status

• many people become illegal if visas are not ___________

Geographies of Migration Channels and ‘Hotspots’

Top Migration Corridors, 2013 Stock of Migrants, millions Figure 6.4 (from textbook)

Migrant Labour and Places of Settlement

What effect does migrant labour have on the places where they settle?

• In places that employ migrant workers ___________, they can have a significant impact on economic activity in a variety of ways.

• Migrant labour has several features.

Migrant Labour and Places of Settlement

In some places, their __________ allows certain kinds of production or economic activity that would not otherwise have taken place.

Migrant Labour and Places of Settlement

Migrant workers have a significant impact on the _________ sphere with respect to providing reproductive labour (e.g. cooking, cleaning, childcare)

Migrant Labour and Places of Settlement

Migrant workers can be controlled and __________ because of their precarious status in the host economy.

Migrant Labour and Places of Settlement

Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP):

• locked into a contract to do a certain job for a certain __________

• difficult to _______ healthcare • can be ‘blacklisted’ • work on farms in _______ areas

• A _________ is money sent back home by migrant workers.

• The countries receiving the highest levels of remittances are generally ______- and middle-income countries, with India, China, the Philippines, and Mexico topping the list.

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2012/04/28/new-rivers-of-gold

Migrant Labour and Places of Origin

Migrant Labour and Places of Origin

An optimistic view sees remittances as: • money fueling everyday ___________ • ________ new businesses • providing _______ to existing businesses • Improving quality of life • ________ infant mortality rates • increasing life expectancy • increased access to health services

Migrant Labour and Places of Origin

An pessimistic view sees remittances as: • not sustaining _________ livelihoods

(but short term consumption) • creating a ‘brain drain’ • increasing income __________ in home

countries • impacting inflation • ____________ children from parents

The movements of migrants are shaped and guided by an array of _________through which migrants are advised, recruited, regulated, trained, transported and connected with employers.

Migration Industry

Migration Industry

The Migration Industry in Toronto, Canada Figure 6.8 (from textbook)