Understanding access to the labour market through migration channels
| Résumé |
The mobility of the ‘highly skilled’ has become widely researched
but only a few researchers have approached this category of
migrants from a critical perspective. This article argues that
understanding how ‘highly skilled migrants’ are constructed
necessitates considering the conditions in which migration takes
place as well as the perceptions and practices associated with
these conditions. It uses the concept of ‘migration channels’ to
investigate the enabling and disabling factors associated with
different migration situations. The analysis draws on biographic
interviews with highly educated migrants in Switzerland, and
supplements these with expert interviews and ethnographic
observations of people working in institutions that support, guide,
or control migrants’ access to the labour market. The article shows
that categories of migrants are artificial and often do not
coincide with lived realities. Migrants actively develop strategies
to achieve their personal aspirations, but they also depend on the
opportunities available in their environment. The concept of
‘migration channels’ enables us to capture this interplay between
structures and agency by showing how different actors shape the
opportunities and constraints faced by different groups of
migrants, and how migrants actively deal with them. This concept
thus fosters a critical yet empathic understanding of migration
experiences. |
| Mots-clés |
highly skilled migrants; migration channels; labour-market access; migration intermediaries |
| Citation | Sandoz Laure, Understanding access to the labour market through migration channels, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, vol. 46, no 1, 2020, p. 222-241. |
| Type | Article de périodique (Anglais) |
| Date de publication | 2020 |
| Nom du périodique | Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies |
| Volume | 46 |
| Numéro | 1 |
| Pages | 222-241 |
| URL | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.201... |