Labour market regulation and the demand for migrant labour: A comparison of the adult social care sector in England and the Netherlands

Abstract

This article contributes to the theoretical understanding of institutions as fundamental in shaping the demand for migrant labour by investigating labour market regulation as possible explanation for cross-country differences in labour market segmentation and the presence of migrant workers. It compares the adult social care sector in England and the Netherlands with important cross-country differences in the reliance on migrant labour amid similar cost saving policies and marketization drives. The analysis draws on data collected between 2009 and 2019 and consisting of sectoral survey data, policy documents, interviews with relevant actors, and the observations of trade union and care workers’ meetings. The findings highlight the importance of path-dependent features of the national industrial relations systems in explaining observed differences but also how the specific nature of the regulatory outcomes depends on unions’ strategies and power.

Guest editorial: State policies and regulations towards migrant work in times of, and beyond, the COVID-19 pandemic

“…While there are similarities in migrant work across countries, differences exist in the extent of migrant labour and in migrants' work and living conditions. The labour market segmentation literature, in fact, underlines how the interplay of different regulatory processes and institutions affect the extent of labour migration by shaping the context in which labour market actors make their choices (Peck, 1996; Ruhs and Anderson, 2010; Marino and Keizer, 2022). Anderson (2012, p. 47), in particular, proposes the idea of a “system effect” which “originates from the interaction between institutional and regulatory frameworks, wider public policies (e.g., welfare and social policies), and the social context where job status and the gendered nature of work are important factors”.…”