Job hopping & hunkering down
How H-1B migrant workers survive the U.S. labour market
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7843686 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robin L Savinar, Robin Savinar (University of California, Davis, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 811-829 |
| Publication date | 2022-02-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Community (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1369183x.2019.1610366 |
| OpenAlex | W2944274859 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 30 |
The perils of doing outsourced or fixed-term work are well documented among the general workforce. These studies often find that workers are more vulnerable than in the past but those with advanced schooling are best prepared for today’s economic vagaries. However, little research has focused on non-standard employment among subpopulations such as H-1B visa workers. This paper uses data from the career histories of migrant professionals to explore the strategies they use to improve their careers in the U.S. labour market. The agency of temporary workers is constrained by their social location, the legal architecture of the H-1B visa programme and the institutional configuration of the information technology labour market. I find that these factors structure H-1B workers’ definition of good jobs, and the actions they take to maintain a valid legal status, remain continuously employed and build a life in the United States. Key contributions include bridging the literatures on non-standard employment and temporary migrant worker programmes; and, describing the creative responses of workers with high aspirations who encounter significant mobility barriers. These findings lend important insights for how workers manage uncertainty and opportunity as the dual practices of outsourcing and temporary worker programmes expand around the globe
Business · Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Labour economics · Migrant workers · Employment and Welfare Studies · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy
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| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |