The Labour Market Consequences of Human Smuggling: ‘Illegal’ Employment in London's Migrant Economy

Abstract

This article explores the short-and medium-term labour market consequences of human smuggling for migrants at destination within the context of Pakistani migration to London. It questions the pessimistic picture painted in some recent academic and journalistic accounts of the experience of 'illegality', and argues that the context of reception does not necessarily make clear distinctions between so-called 'legal' and 'illegal' migrants. It also questions the wisdom of assuming that trafficking and smuggling go hand-in-hand. Whilst harsh abuse by employers does indeed occur, this by no means structures the totality of the irregular migrant's experience. A more helpful conceptual distinction, it is argued, can be made between 'work' and 'jobs'*different types of employment experienced by all migrant workers.

Hidden Dishes—How Food Gets on to Our Plates: Undocumented Migrants and the Restaurant and Takeaway Sector

“…As Jones et al (2006b: 361) observe, "it is not that immigrants bring informality with them as a cultural trait, but rather that the informality is generated within the function of the UK economy." Legal status makes only a marginal, if any, difference to the smallest micro-businesses of the enclave, and pay levels for those who are documented are affected only where they move outside of the enclave (Ahmad, 2008). Indeed, it is the ability to move beyond the enclave that determines the level of success, in terms of labour market outcomes, rather than the issue of formal status; thus it is "flexibility or fluidity" that differentiates outcomes (Erdemir & Vasta, 2007).…”

Working for free illegal employment practices, ‘off the books’ work and the continuum of legality within the service economy

“…The debate around illegal labour often focuses upon migrant labour and illegal entry (Entorf and Moebert 2004), the conditions of employment within the informal economy (Ahmad 2008a(Ahmad , 2008b and the spectre of competition between indigenous workers and newly arrived illegal immigrants (Venturini 2004; see also Winlow et al 2017). However, legal migration for work purposes has also been identified as a form of 'unfree' labour (Gordon 2018); workers brought to a country by an employer can find their ability to move between occupations restricted by the conditions of their migration.…”

“…Smuggled and illegal migrants arrive in destination countries and often find limited opportunities within formal labour markets and much of the literature points to exploitation within the informal service economies populated by illegal migrant workers (Ahmad 2008a(Ahmad , 2008bBoswell and Straubhaar 2004;Ram et al 2002). Ram et al (2002) investigated illegal migrants in UK restaurant work and the clothing trade and identified similarities and differences in practice.…”

The Governance of International Migration

“…A widely considered economic consequence of irregular migration is the fact that migrants' deportability renders them more vulnerable to exploitation in the labour market, especially in countries and specific sectors that are characterized by widespread informality (De Genova 2002: 439;Calavita 2005;Ahmad 2008;Villages 2014;Bloch and McKay 2016). The precarious work and exploitation it entails can be a form of migrant incorporation into social and economic life alongside other underprivileged segments of society such as unskilled legal migrants, ethnic minorities, and other underclass groups within urban economies.…”