Understanding the Perception of the ‘Migrant Work Ethic’

Abstract

Over the last decade, the UK has experienced unprecedented increases in migratio n associated with the 2004 A8 expansion of the European Union. These migrant workers have been praised by managers in the UK, who have frequently stated that they perceive these workers to have a strong 'work ethic' when measured on aspects such as absence from work rates. This article examines this perceived migrant 'work ethic' by analysing worker absence data from the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the period 2005-2012. Regression analysis reveals that when A8 migrant workers first arrive in the UK, they record substantially lower absence than native workers, but that these migrant absence levels assimilate within 2-4 years. If employers use this information to make hiring decisions, this may have negative implications for native workers, but, importantly, only in the short run.

It’s Not All about the Economy Stupid! Immigration and Subjective Well-Being in England

“…In further support of this point related to the potential for perceived labour market impacts to be a factor, it is perhaps worth highlighting some interesting recent work published in this journal which suggests that due to what the authors describe as ‘ethnic penalties’, there may be a prevalence of over-qualification when it comes to the presence of migrants from the A8 accession countries in the workforce (Sirkeci et al, 2018). Additionally, at least in the short run, there is evidence that A8 migrant workers record substantially lower absence rates than native workers (Dawson et al, 2018). All this may help fuel a perception on the part of natives that migrants are an economic threat (regardless of whether this is actually true in practice or not).…”

“…Thus, inflows of migrants could be a source of psychological distress for natives based on the belief that it lowers their economic opportunities. Two issues highlighted recently in this journal which might help fuel this belief are that migrant workers are more likely to be over-qualified for their job (Sirkeci et al, 2018) and have lower absence from work rates, at least in the short run (Dawson et al, 2018).…”

Conceptualising the Agency of Migrant Women Workers: Resilience, Reworking and Resistance

“…Industry reports indicate that 24% of those employed in tourism are migrants, and a high proportion of these are EU migrants, whose employment in this sector increased 46% between 2011 and 2015 (People 1st, 2016). Migrant workers are valued for their positive economic contribution, work ethic and represent a flexible workforce (MacKenzie and Forde, 2009) that is reliable, compliant, has low wage expectations and low levels of absenteeism (Dawson, Veliziotis and Hopkins, 2018). However, their construction as an 'ideal workforce' is shaped as much by their perceived attributes as by employers' awareness that they are hiring those who lack power in labour markets (MacKenzie and Forde, 2009).…”

From severe to routine labour exploitation: The case of migrant workers in the UK food industry

“…Precarious work conditions do not usually appeal to British workers, many of whom are reluctant to accept flexible, low-paid, low-status work (Potter and Hamilton, 2014). There is a well-grounded assumption that migrants are needed to fill these positions that British workers are unwilling to accept; however, some employers may prefer to hire migrant labour over local labour, especially if migrants are new and appear to display a ‘good’ or ‘superior’ work ethic (Anderson, 2015; Dawson et al, 2018; Rogaly, 2008; TUC, 2008). Many new migrants have limited labour market information about the host country and are not necessarily proficient in English, which hinders their prospects in sectors that value communication in relation to job-related skills (Dawson et al, 2018).…”

“…There is a well-grounded assumption that migrants are needed to fill these positions that British workers are unwilling to accept; however, some employers may prefer to hire migrant labour over local labour, especially if migrants are new and appear to display a ‘good’ or ‘superior’ work ethic (Anderson, 2015; Dawson et al, 2018; Rogaly, 2008; TUC, 2008). Many new migrants have limited labour market information about the host country and are not necessarily proficient in English, which hinders their prospects in sectors that value communication in relation to job-related skills (Dawson et al, 2018). Therefore, migrants’ immediate priority may be to obtain any job they can get and demonstrate their skills from that point onwards, which begins to explain this ‘good’ work ethic that is influenced by limited options.…”