Skip to main content
Rebordering Britain & Britons after Brexit

Migration and Differential Labour Market Participation: Theoretical Directions, Recurring Themes, Implications of Brexit and Areas for Future Research

Abstract

Extensive research in a number of disciplines, including economics, social policy, sociology, geography and management have been undertaken relating to migrant participation in the labour market. Given the highly topical nature of migrant employment in Western Europe and the US, the aim of this brief review is to draw together some of the more recent attempts to theorise on the presence of migrants in the labour market, discuss some of the recurrent themes that have emerged from empirical research in this area, consider some of the main implications for policy-making in what now seems likely to be known as the post-Brexit era and outline areas for future research. In doing so, the intention is to contribute to further inter-disciplinary theory-building and to a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of this highly politicised area and the implications of migrant employment for policy and future research.

You might also be interested in :

From Mobile Workers to Fellow Citizens and Back Again? The Future Status of EU Citizens in the UK
Growing concerns and hostility towards continuing large-scale flows of immigrants following the two rounds of EU enlargement and high levels of net migration played a major part in the Brexit referendum result for the UK to leave the EU. So too had welfare chauvinism…
Introduction: Migration and Differential Labour Market Participation
Recent major political developments, including Brexit and the US presidential elections, have been strongly associated with public concerns around levels of immigration.
It's all about the Flex: Preference, Flexibility and Power in the Employment of EU Migrants in Low-Skilled Sectors
In the last ten years, EU migrants have come to play an important role in the UK labour force. They have become increasingly present in low-skilled occupations, where the largest proportional increase has been migration from Eastern and Central European countries.
UK's Membership of the EU: Brexit and the Gains, Losses and Dilemmas for Social Policy Introduction
The United Kingdom has a long history of a fraught relationship with the European Union, a discomfort demonstrated in the 23 June 2016 referendum on the membership of the EU, in which the UK voted to leave with nearly 52 per cent majority vote.

Journal

Social Policy and Society

Authors

Gina Netto (United Kingdom)
Gary Craig (United Kingdom)

Article meta

Country / region covered

Year of Publication

Source type