Precarity among transient migrants: Mainland Chinese workers in Brunei Darussalam during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Precarity often characterizes the inadequate social and legal protection that transient migrants receive. Drawing on participant observation and semi-structured interviews of Chinese migrant workers of Mainland Chinese enterprises in Brunei Darussalam between 2021 and 2022, this paper discusses their precarious experiences by demonstrating their encounters with local communities and when interacting with their families in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. It unveils that the daily struggles and precariousness of Mainland Chinese workers in Brunei are due to both exogenous and endogenous factors. This study sheds light on the vulnerable conditions of Chinese workers resulting from their individual choices and institutional factors that affect transient migrants.