Immigrants' employment strategies and their economic welfare: the case of the Greek countryside

L Labrianidis, T Sykas - Southeast European and Black Sea …, 2011 - Taylor & Francis
L Labrianidis, T Sykas
Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 2011Taylor & Francis
We investigate the employment strategies developed by Immigrants Working in Agriculture–
'IWA'–in Greece. To counter seasonality and the insufficient income of agricultural work, IWA
develop employment strategies to improve their economic status. Specifically, we find that
IWA develop two distinct and substitute strategies: multi-employment and movements
following the crops. These strategies are processes of IWA integration into the local
economies and adaptation to the structural changes in the countryside's labour markets that …
We investigate the employment strategies developed by Immigrants Working in Agriculture – ‘IWA’ – in Greece. To counter seasonality and the insufficient income of agricultural work, IWA develop employment strategies to improve their economic status. Specifically, we find that IWA develop two distinct and substitute strategies: multi-employment and movements following the crops. These strategies are processes of IWA integration into the local economies and adaptation to the structural changes in the countryside’s labour markets that took place prior to and during the transformation of Greece into an immigrants’ host country. Therefore, on the one hand, the employment strategies developed by IWA are different in different rural areas reflecting their particular economic structure. On the other hand, IWA with different socioeconomic characteristics opt for different strategies.
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