Messy Arrangements? A Social Networks Perspective on Migrant Labor Brokerage:The Case of Ukrainian Migration to Poland
Messy Arrangements? A Social Networks Perspective on Migrant Labor Brokerage:The Case of Ukrainian Migration to Poland

Summary/Abstract: This article draws on two studies conducted between 2016 and 2018 on the nature of labor migrationfrom Ukraine to Poland. Using quantitative and qualitative data, it analyses the relationship between social networks and employment agencies. Building on research into migration infrastructure, we question thedichotomy—which also appears in migrants’ narratives—between migrant social networks and labor brokers, andoffer evidence of overlap and interdependence between the two. Exploring various aspects of labor migration,we look at the role played by the social networks of the actors (both the migrants and the intermediaries) inenhancing migration infrastructure. We show how migrants use their social capital in regard to labor brokers andhow the latter, rather than replacing networks, mobilize their network resources and experience to create a trusted transnational service.

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