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From boom to bust: Migrant labour and employers in the Irish construction sector

Author

Listed:
  • Torben Krings

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria/Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, torben.krings@jku.at)

  • Alicja Bobek

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria/Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

  • Elaine Moriarty

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria/Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

  • Justyna SalamoÅ„ska

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria/Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

  • James Wickham

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria/Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)

Abstract

This article analyses labour migration through a case study of migrants and employers in the Irish construction sector. It seeks to locate the choices of both sides of the employment relationship in a broader socioeconomic context that takes into account the regulatory environment and the labour market situation. The authors show how both sides of the employment relationship took advantage of Ireland’s open labour market policy in 2004. As employers were keen to fill skill and labour shortages in a buoyant construction sector, migrants found employment with relative ease, often involving subcontracting arrangements and informal recruitment patterns. During the boom years the sector provided considerable opportunities for migrants at different skill levels. However, now that the sector has moved from ‘boom to bust’, the employment context has dramatically changed. In the light of large-scale job losses the bargaining position of employers has increased as migrants try to cope with deteriorating employment conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Torben Krings & Alicja Bobek & Elaine Moriarty & Justyna SalamoÅ„ska & James Wickham, 2011. "From boom to bust: Migrant labour and employers in the Irish construction sector," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 32(3), pages 459-476, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:32:y:2011:i:3:p:459-476
    DOI: 10.1177/0143831X10387651
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Iraklis Dimitriadis, 2023. "Migrants and Undeclared Employment within the European Construction Sector: Challenging Dichotomous Approaches to Workers’ Agency," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(5), pages 1321-1338, October.
    2. Alicja Bobek & James Wickham, 2018. "Blurring boundaries: informal practices in formal employment in Ireland," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 336-351, July.
    3. Chris F Wright & Angela Knox & Andreea Constantin, 2021. "Using or abusing? Scrutinising employer demand for temporary sponsored skilled migrants in the Australian hospitality industry," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 42(4), pages 937-959, November.
    4. Diane van den Broek & Chris F Wright & Joanna Howe & Alexander Reilly, 2021. "Pro-market governance, migration status and worker vulnerability: The case of Australian horticulture," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 42(4), pages 1305-1325, November.
    5. Hedda Haakestad & Jon Horgen Friberg, 2020. "Deskilling revisited: Labour migration, neo-Taylorism and the degradation of craft work in the Norwegian construction industry1," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 41(3), pages 630-651, August.
    6. Benjamin Hopkins, 2017. "Occupational health and safety of temporary and agency workers," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 38(4), pages 609-628, November.
    7. Stephen Clibborn, 2021. "Multiple frames of reference: Why international student workers in Australia tolerate underpayment," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 42(2), pages 336-354, May.
    8. Charles Woolfson & Judy Fudge & Christer Thörnqvist, 2014. "Migrant precarity and future challenges to labour standards in Sweden," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 35(4), pages 695-715, November.

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