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English as a Border-Drawing Matter: Language and the Regulation of Migrant Service Worker Mobility in International Labor Markets

Author

Listed:
  • Geraldina Polanco

    (California State University)

  • Sarah Zell

    (University of British Columbia)

Abstract

This multi-sited study in Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines examines how appraisals of English language competence transnationally mediate labor market entry for temporary migrant workers. Focusing on “low-skilled,” interactive service sector jobs, we show how border drawing along English language lines contributes to the regulation of access to global labor circuits and the segmentation of workers into occupational niches. Mediated by the migration industry, English linguistic capital acts as a marker of status and occupational desirability, shaping and reinforcing employer preferences and (re)defining the “properly embodied” service sector worker. This has implications for the social (re)organization of labor markets and the mobility options available to migrants and their sending states across sectors and scales.

Suggested Citation

  • Geraldina Polanco & Sarah Zell, 2017. "English as a Border-Drawing Matter: Language and the Regulation of Migrant Service Worker Mobility in International Labor Markets," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 267-289, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:18:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s12134-016-0478-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-016-0478-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chiswick, Barry R. & Miller, Paul W., 2003. "The complementarity of language and other human capital: immigrant earnings in Canada," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 469-480, October.
    2. Philip Kelly & Tom Lusis, 2006. "Migration and the Transnational Habitus: Evidence from Canada and the Philippines," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(5), pages 831-847, May.
    3. Christian Dustmann, 1999. "Temporary Migration, Human Capital, and Language Fluency of Migrants," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(2), pages 297-314, June.
    4. Kossoudji, Sherrie A, 1988. "English Language Ability and the Labor Market Opportunities of Hispanic and East Asian Immigrant Men," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(2), pages 205-228, April.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Chantal Robillard & Janet McLaughlin & Donald C. Cole & Biljana Vasilevska & Richard Gendron, 2018. "“Caught in the Same Webs”—Service Providers’ Insights on Gender-Based and Structural Violence Among Female Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 583-606, August.

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