The need for workers during Ireland’s so-called ‘Celtic Tiger’ era attracted migrants from many countries. In 2004 Ireland opened its borders to the New Member States (NMS) favouring migrant workers from the accession countries. This resulted in migrants from the NMS entering the country seeking employment, the largest group being from Poland. When the Irish economy started to decline in the late 2000s both nationals and migrants started to leave the country. However, many Polish migrants have continued to remain in the country. This thesis explores the reasons why Polish migrants came to Ireland and why they continue to remain in the country despite its economic decline post 2010 when austerity became a reality. This thesis argues that most of those Polish migrants who took part in this study are well educated. Most claim that they have not been discriminated against in terms of their social needs, conditions of employment, salary, or promotion in their place of work. Although they originally migrated to Ireland for economic reasons the recent measurers of austerity introduced since 2010 has not had any major impact on their standard of living. This thesis argues that despite high unemployment and measurers of austerity introduced by the Irish government since 2010, most Polish migrants wish to remain in Ireland because of their quality of life, better job opportunities and personal commitments. It concludes that leaving Ireland is not that simple, their domestic circumstances have now changed, and some have got married, have families and enjoy a better quality of life in Ireland than in Poland. Their decision whether to remain or leave Ireland no longer rests solely with them. They now have to consider their domestic situation, their family’s opinions, and their future. Most are of the opinion that even if they became unemployed while in Ireland they could survive financially and returning to Poland is an option that they do not wish to contemplate.

Professional and graduate mobility represents an increasing component of international migration streams due to the globalisation of markets, the expansion of the knowledge economy, and the global competition for talent. While in the last twenty years considerable attention was given to East-West mobility flows within Europe, little research has been done on mobile professionals' and graduates' occupational attainment abroad. In the thesis I analyse the social organisation of professional mobility, focusing on the determinants of mobility, the destination choice, and the job-seeking practices of East European professionals and graduates in London. Several bodies of literature deliver the conceptual basis for this research. Applying an economic sociological framework, I rely on three major currents among the theoretical approaches to migration and mobility: human capital, global cities and labour market segmentation theories. I use quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyse primary and secondary data, including an online survey and semi-structured interviews with Hungarian and Romanian professionals and graduates working in London, and London-based employers of East European graduates, as well as official statistics. While aiming to question the atomised economic individualism associated with well-educated migrants and to draw the profile of the potentially new 'Eurostars', the thesis reaches four main conclusions. First, I emphasise the need to investigate the social process leading to labour market incorporation of foreign professionals from a transnational perspective. I argue that the social structures and institutions at both destination and origin influence immigrants' labour market positions at destination. Second, I have found that mobility decisions are shaped by individual perceptions of relative deprivation when comparing their own social and occupational positions to the ones of members of groups they consider referential. Third, social ties act as centrifugal forces in sending professionals and graduates to either the top or the bottom of the occupational hierarchies at destination. Typically, however, professional and graduate mobility is a market-dependent phenomenon, influenced less by the existence of social ties, more by the supply and demand on the global labour, education and migration policy markets. These social institutions, together with social networks and migrants' self-selection contribute to the creation of labour market segments at destination. Finally, the thesis challenges the idea that the international transfer of human capital is a seamless process. Instead, I argue that it is the social aspects of human capital creation, transfer and appreciation which shape to a great extent what is socially recognised as being 'skilled' or 'highly qualified'. Being 'highly skilled' is an outcome of negotiations between employers and migrants on the socially constituted labour markets around the value and the value-attached significance of employable human capital.

This thesis investigates the health status of and health risks to male Nepalese migrant construction and factory workers in the Middle East (West Asia) and Malaysia. After the more seasonal migration to India, the Middle East and Malaysia are the second most popular destinations for Nepalese workers. Differences in the health status and health risks for Nepalese workers associated with the type of work-place, demographic, socio-economic and health characteristics have been investigated in this Ph.D. This study adopted self-reported tools to measure general physical and mental health. These health risks have been measured in terms of perceived health risks and experience of work-related accidents at work. This study uses a mixed-methods approach including questionnaires and in-depth interviews with male Nepalese migrant workers, upon their return to, or prior to their departure from Nepal. Questionnaire data (n=403) estimated the health status of migrant workers and the level of risk to which they are exposed. The interviews (n=20) with a sub-sample of the survey population has offered detailed. Ethical approval granted by the Nepal Health Research Council. Nearly half of the respondents (46%) were aged 20 to 29, most were married (91%), without formal education or only had completed primary education (71%). Most (87%) rated their health as “very good/good or fair”. More than three quarters (79%) perceived their work environment as “very good/good or fair”. Two-thirds (65%) were satisfied with their accommodation abroad. The majority had semi-skilled jobs (69%) and 71% had registered with a doctor; 62% had national insurance; 17% had experienced a work accident. Overall, age was associated with self-reported poor health status as health appeared to worsen with increasing age. Perceived diet, health risks and the work environment were strongly associated with self-reported poor health status. Age, satisfaction with accommodation, work environment and country of work were strongly associated with accidents at work. Country of work and health insurance were significantly associated with not visiting a doctor abroad. The qualitative findings focus on six main themes: (a) push factors of migration; (b) pull factors; (c) living abroad; (d) working abroad; (e) health and health services; and (f) suggestions to improve health and well-being. The in-depth interviews confirmed that Nepalese migrant workers experienced accidents at work, skin problems, heart attacks, mental health issues and even death. In general, employers were perceived not to value the health of migrant workers enough and due to the pressures of work many workers took risks. A significant minority of Nepalese migrant workers working in the Middle East and Malaysia have experienced work-related risks, unsafe and stressful working and living environments and delayed medical treatment. Health and safety at work should focus on encouraging employers to provide safe work environments by giving health and safety training to ensure potential harm reduction. However, the main evidence from this study is that the majority of Nepalese male migrant workers do report a fairly positive experience e.g. with their health, health insurance and access to health services, of living and working abroad. This phenomenon coupled with the poor living and working conditions in Nepal helps explain why workers are willing to work in high risk jobs and in relatively poor working conditions abroad.

No description available.

In response to the labour shortage caused by low fertility and an ageing population, some Japanese labour-intensive companies recruit foreign labourers through the Technical Intern Training Programme. Chinese temporary migrant workers employed through this programme are called 'Chinese trainees'. According to the Japan International Training Cooperation Organisation (JITCO), 534,742 Chinese trainees were recruited through JITCO between 1992 and 2010, representing approximately 74 percent of all foreign trainees. While Chinese trainees contribute positively to the nation's economy, conflicts and dissatisfaction are also created and voiced by them, which calls for a re-examination of the current policy. A deeper understanding of and strategies for integration of the trainees into Japanese society are important issues associated with the programme and this research. There is a dearth of knowledge in understanding the experiences of international temporary migrant workers in the host countries from their viewpoint. Therefore, the concepts of social exclusion and inclusion are utilised to construct a multi-dimensional theoretical framework to understand and analyse the experiences and perspectives of Chinese trainees during their time in Japan. The effectiveness and suitability of the training policy as a means to recruit low-skilled foreign workers is examined. Forty-five in-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with former Chinese trainees who worked for three years in Japan; key stakeholders such as government and NGO representatives; academics; and Japanese employers and administers in trade associations. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify and organise key themes on the experiences of Chinese trainees, and to seek the meaning of their life stories. The findings highlight the importance of trainees' individual initiatives, support and care from the receiving communities, and the knowledge achieved within a particular social context. A body of evidence also reveals that the current policy practices have negative impacts on trainees' experiences, and need to be improved.

This thesis provides a multigenerational analysis of Derby’s post-war Polish community and the significance for them of visiting their ancestral homeland. It focuses on how and why generations of Polish migrants return to their ancestral homeland and how such journeys come to have deep yet changing meanings for those involved. This research moves attention away from viewing migration as a linear process, namely from the moment of leaving home to settlement in the new home. Using the key theoretical concept of transnationalism, the research findings and analysis extend the migration process to include an ongoing interaction with homeland, such as return tourism. The findings come from the first qualitative study conducted into return tourism motivation and its associated activities, embracing transnational involvement and the identity formation of three post-World War Two generations of Poles living in Derby. It further expands previous empirical studies of return tourism by offering a sociological and socio-psychological analysis of this aspect of tourism. An interpretive and inductive approach was taken and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between February 2008 and August 2009. The sample consisted of fifty-four participants with sixteen from the first generation, twenty from the second generation and eighteen from the third generation of Poles who were resident in Derby. An analysis of participants’ narratives revealed key findings and generated new understanding and knowledge. The findings relate to those who do and do not engage in transnational activities, including return tourism, giving a more holistic understanding of this phenomenon. Initially four sets of factors are suggested as being significant. First, having a connection to people and places in the ancestral home plays a pivotal role in individuals choosing to travel or not. Visiting people and places of significance is also the main activity undertaken when back in the homeland. Second, questions and issues concerning identity are closely linked to willingness to visit homeland. Ethnic identity can be nurtured from childhood, but can also be developed later in life, often leading to individuals reconnecting with their ethnic origins. Third, there is a rapid decline of ethnic identity continuity and transnational engagement between the second and third generation Poles. Perhaps surprisingly food preparation and consumption is the strongest and often the only surviving expression of Polish identity in the third generation. Fourth, Poland’s recent historical events relating to the Second World War left a lasting legacy with the three generations. The associated traumatic experiences expressed through stories created a very negative image of the country, which prevented individuals from travelling there. The historical events also contributed to changes to Poland’s border that occurred after many first generation members had left home. For many respondents the physical or geographical homeland was no longer in Poland, but in a neighbouring state. Homeland may in fact become the focus of an emotional state of existence and sense of belonging or a felt absence from the place to which one once belonged. At a methodological level the thesis explores memory, experience and imagination against new and emerging categories of tourism. This cannot be achieved through impersonally remote research, but relies on methods and concepts which penetrate the maze of established facts and personal experience. The past is often impenetrable but we continue to try to understand it in relation to its own reality and its resonance with both the present and our future.

This study examines the transformation of Filipino domestic service in Hong Kong from its official recognition by the Hong Kong government in the 1970s to 2005. In undertaking a historical analysis on the origins, legislation, discourses and practices of the Filipino migrant community in Hong Kong, this dissertation aims to shed light on the way abstract concepts that are attached to nationality and citizenship become inscribed into everyday existence and become markers of status and belonging. This dissertation departs from existing scholarship on Hong Kong which has predominantly focused on the 1997 Handover, conceptions of democracy, and economic development. By using a multi-method approach, involving archival work, participant observation and interviews, I argue that the developments of the Filipino community in Hong Kong are not isolated or unique, nor are they simply political or social. The dissertation highlights the ways in ways in which the actions and perceptions of the Hong Kong and Philippine government, local and expat employers and employment agencies instigate and sustain the marginalisation of domestic helpers. Attention to this oft-ignored aspect of Hong Kong's history is important in understanding the cultural and social history of the city by highlighting how Chinese locals, foreign expats and Filipino migrants, who are often written in contrast with one another, are in actuality simultaneously bound and affected by each other.

No description available.

Current Migration Studies literature in Europe can broadly be divided into two major strands. First is dominated by studies on the East-West migration of working class or asylum seeking, postcolonial ethnic groups and problems associated with their subsequent integration/assimilation into the host society. The second, more recent, strand of migration research is that of highly skilled professional migrants, usually hypermobile white men moving across highly-developed countries (for example within the EU), or from developed to less developed countries. This thesis aims to fill a major gap in the existing migration studies literature by focussing on a group of highly skilled Pakistani professionals. Based on a combination of participant observation and in-depth interviews with thirteen Pakistani male accountants and their partners in London, this thesis will explore their personal and professional lives in detail. In particular, it aims to compare this group with a) other highly skilled migrants in Europe and b) working class Pakistani immigrants who have dominated the migration stream to the UK. In terms of their social background, this group is strikingly different to the latter due to its urban, middle class origins where all men and most women possess tertiary level degrees. They do not follow the typical migration channel of chain migration to the UK and do not tend to live in ethnic clusters as other Pakistani migrants. Marital status sets them apart from European migrants of similar professional background. The thesis shows that experience of working in the one of the biggest accounting firms in the UK is overall positive for many participants but the overemphasis on social skills over technical expertise in the firm’s appraisal system is a major problem since the centrality of drinking in after-work socialisation meant they could not fully participate in such bonding activities. This thesis also captures the life experiences of migrant spouses in terms of marriage, migration, children and “incorporation” into husband’s work. Last, the thesis explores the future aspirations of the participants which mainly include a long term plan of acquiring British nationality as the means to a more lucrative job in the Middle-East. The Middle-East as a permanent destination was considered perfect due to its booming economy, proximity to Pakistan (still viewed as “homeland”) and most importantly Islamic culture which was seen fundamental in upbringing of their children. However, some women were apprehensive of such a move due to the restrictions on women in some Middle-Eastern countries.

As a result of increasing globalisation expatriation in the oil and gas industry has become a common practice. In order to be on the foreground in such a competitive market, it is vital for a corporation like the National Oil Corporation in Libya to make certain that operational international recruitment and expatriate assignments are in place. As a member of OPEC and as an owner of the foremost oil reserves in Africa, the NOC in Libya attracts international investment from a varied array of countries. The focus of this study was on the Libyan oil industry as it is an ideal platform of the influence of globalization and alterations in economic, political and cultural mixing on the current business setting. Libya has a different culture, social and business custom to the west. To achieve business goals and avoid cultural misunderstandings, large organisations such as the NOC in Libya must be culturally aware and have the ability to stimulate creativeness and inspiration through flexible management for this reason the NOC in Libya was selected. This study examines the influence of cross cultural training on European expatriate’s assignment at the National Oil Corporation in Libya. The respondents used for this research were European expatriates working at the NOC in Libya. European expatriates represent one of the largest ethnic groups working at the NOC. In 2015, 542 European expatriates, were employed by the NOC. Europeans expatriates were selected to symbolise the Western culture and Libya has been chosen to symbolise the non-Western culture. As this research centres on one corporation and in-depth data is required, the decision of selecting a case study was an expected choice. The data in this research is of qualitative nature, making direct interviews the selected research design. The findings show that cross cultural training was not offered to the European expatriates working at the NOC in Libya. This, in turn, had a negative influence on their international assignment and on their ability to form positive relations with the local Libyan employees, to achieve the objectives of the international assignment and, consequently, their job performance.