IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/ecolab/v24y2013i3p316-339.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Temporary migrant nurses in Australia: Sites and sources of precariousness

Author

Listed:
  • Martina Boese

    (RMIT, Australia)

  • Iain Campbell

    (RMIT University, Australia)

  • Winsome Roberts
  • Joo-Cheong Tham

Abstract

Temporary migrant workers are widely regarded as a precarious group of workers. This precariousness is often traced back to the sphere of employment, though recent research also points to the implications of the limited rights entailed by temporary migrant status. This article draws on empirical work among registered nurses who have participated in the Australian 457 visa scheme – the major programme for temporary migrant workers in Australia. Using a range of empirical sources, including in-depth interviews with 26 temporary migrant nurses, we examine whether these nurses experience precariousness and locate the sites and sources of precariousness. The article draws attention to the importance of the regulatory context that defines different pathways from the country of departure to employment in the Australian healthcare system. We suggest that, although temporary migrant nurses are well integrated within the healthcare workforce in terms of formal wages and conditions, other stages in their migration pathways can be associated with precariousness. This in turn has significant impact on experiences at work and outside the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Martina Boese & Iain Campbell & Winsome Roberts & Joo-Cheong Tham, 2013. "Temporary migrant nurses in Australia: Sites and sources of precariousness," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 24(3), pages 316-339, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:24:y:2013:i:3:p:316-339
    DOI: 10.1177/1035304613496500
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1035304613496500
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1035304613496500?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicola YEATES, 2010. "The globalization of nurse migration: Policy issues and responses," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 149(4), pages 423-440, December.
    2. Jean-Claude Barbier, 2011. ""Employment precariousness" in a European cross-national perspective. A sociological review of thirty years of research," Post-Print halshs-00654370, HAL.
    3. Steven Simoens & Mike Villeneuve & Jeremy Hurst, 2005. "Tackling Nurse Shortages in OECD Countries," OECD Health Working Papers 19, OECD Publishing.
    4. Jean-Claude Barbier, 2011. ""Employment precariousness" in a European cross-national perspective. A sociological review of thirty years of research," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 11078, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    5. Stefanie Toh & Michael Quinlan, 2009. "Safeguarding the global contingent workforce? Guestworkers in Australia," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(5), pages 453-471, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dominika Polkowska & Kamil Filipek, 2020. "Grateful Precarious Worker? Ukrainian Migrants in Poland," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(3), pages 564-581, September.
    2. Canet Tuba Sarıtaş, 2020. "Precarious contours of work–family conflict: The case of nurses in Turkey," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 31(1), pages 59-75, March.
    3. Rajesh Kalarivayil & Balaka Chattaraj & Smitha Sasidharan Nair, 2024. "Precarity of Place in the Global South: The Case of Tea Garden Workers in Assam," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 12.
    4. Diane van den Broek & Dimitria Groutsis, 2017. "Global nursing and the lived experience of migration intermediaries," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 31(5), pages 851-860, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Joseph Choonara, 2020. "The Precarious Concept of Precarity," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(3), pages 427-446, September.
    2. Cathel Kornig & Nathalie Louit-Martinod & Philippe Méhaut, 2016. "Reducing precarious work in Europe through social dialogue : the case of France," Working Papers hal-01451329, HAL.
    3. Naomi Richards & Rebecca Rotter, 2013. "Desperately Seeking Certainty? The Case of Asylum Applicants and People Planning an Assisted Suicide in Switzerland," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 18(4), pages 250-265, November.
    4. Livianos, Ilios & Tzika, Evi, 2022. "Precarious employment in Greece: economic crisis, labour market flexibilisation, and vulnerable workers," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115058, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Ilias Livanos & Evi Tzika, 2022. "Precarious Employment in Greece:economic crisis, labour market flexibilisation, and vulnerable workers," GreeSE – Hellenic Observatory Papers on Greece and Southeast Europe 171, Hellenic Observatory, LSE.
    6. Florence Karaba, 2024. "‘I Can Only Do My Best and Leave the Rest to God”: Religious/Spiritual Coping Strategies of African Nurses in the UK," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(4), pages 789-808, November.
    7. Rachel Jenkins & Robert Kydd & Paul Mullen & Kenneth Thomson & James Sculley & Susan Kuper & Joanna Carroll & Oye Gureje & Simon Hatcher & Sharon Brownie & Christopher Carroll & Sheila Hollins & Mai L, 2010. "International Migration of Doctors, and Its Impact on Availability of Psychiatrists in Low and Middle Income Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(2), pages 1-9, February.
    8. World Bank, 2009. "The Nurse Labor and Education Markets in the English-Speaking CARICOM : Issues and Options for Reform," World Bank Publications - Reports 3160, The World Bank Group.
    9. Decramer, Adelien & Audenaert, Mieke & Van Waeyenberg, Thomas & Claeys, Tine & Claes, Claudia & Vandevelde, Stijn & van Loon, Jos & Crucke, Saskia, 2015. "Does performance management affect nurses’ well-being?," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 98-105.
    10. García-Pérez, Carmelo & Prieto-Alaiz, Mercedes & Simón, Hipólito, 2020. "Multidimensional measurement of precarious employment using hedonic weights: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 348-359.
    11. Selvaraj Velayutham, 2013. "Precarious experiences of Indians in Australia on 457 temporary work visas," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 24(3), pages 340-361, September.
    12. Amanda Wise, 2013. "Pyramid subcontracting and moral detachment: Down-sourcing risk and responsibility in the management of transnational labour in Asia," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 24(3), pages 433-455, September.
    13. Jean-Baptiste Combes & Eric Delattre & Bob Elliott & Diane Skåtun, 2015. "Hospital staffing and local pay: an investigation into the impact of local variations in the competitiveness of nurses’ pay on the staffing of hospitals in France," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(7), pages 763-780, September.
    14. Somers, Melline & Stolp, Tom & Burato, Francesca & van Merode, Frits & Vooren, Melvin, 2024. "Increasing the working hours of nurses and teachers: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment," ROA Research Memorandum 005E, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).
    15. Sabina Stan & Roland Erne, 2021. "Time for a paradigm change? Incorporating transnational processes into the analysis of the emerging European health-care system," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(3), pages 289-302, August.
    16. Benjamin Schilgen & Albert Nienhaus & Oriana Handtke & Holger Schulz & Mike Mösko, 2017. "Health situation of migrant and minority nurses: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(6), pages 1-28, June.
    17. Schweri, Juerg & Hartog, Joop, 2017. "Do wage expectations predict college enrollment? Evidence from healthcare," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 135-150.
    18. Schlage, Vanessa & Blankart, Carl Rudolf, 2016. "Does Direct-care Staffing Impact Nursing Home Outcomes? A Systematic Review," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 70(3), pages 291-318.
    19. Barigozzi, Francesca & Raggi, Davide, 2013. "The Lemons Problem in a Labor Market with Intrinsic Motivation," AICCON Working Papers 123-2013, Associazione Italiana per la Cultura della Cooperazione e del Non Profit.
    20. Somers, Melline & Stolp, Tom & Burato, Francesca & Groot, Wim & van Merode, Frits & Vooren, Melvin, 2024. "Increasing the working hours of nurses and teachers: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment," Research Memorandum 014, Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migrant workers; migration; migration pathways; nurse migration; precarious migrant status; precarious work; s457 visa; temporary skilled migration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J48 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Particular Labor Markets; Public Policy
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:24:y:2013:i:3:p:316-339. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.