Rights and Wrongs: A Workplace Rights Information Experiment among Temporary Migrants

Temporary migrants power key industries in many countries, yet often face poor working conditions. Vulnerability to such conditions is increased by limited knowledge of workplace rights, language barriers, and, in some cases, lack of prior work experience. One common policy response is the use of information interventions aimed at increasing rights awareness and empowering migrants to seek better working conditions where choice is possible. Despite their widespread use, evidence on their effectiveness remains limited. We present results from a randomized controlled trial evaluating a workplace rights information intervention in a longitudinal study of temporary migrants in Australia. Using multilingual online surveys, we recruited a diverse sample of workers across sectors that were understudied to date. Consistent with previous research, workers with limited rights awareness, and little prior work experience experienced worse employment conditions. While the intervention increased participants’ perceived sense of control over workplace decisions, workplace rights knowledge increased in both treatment and control groups over time. Increased rights knowledge was associated with improved working conditions, particularly among workers with limited English proficiency and less prior work experience. However, structural constraints, including dependence on employers for visa extension requirements, may limit the extent to which information alone can improve outcomes. These findings suggest that information interventions alone may be insufficient without complementary measures addressing institutional vulnerability.