TY - JOUR
T1 - Pacific seasonal workers
T2 - Learning from the contrasting temporary migration outcomes in Australian and New Zealand horticulture
AU - Curtain, Richard
AU - Dornan, Matthew
AU - Howes, Stephen
AU - Sherrell, Henry
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Authors. Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd and Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University.
PY - 2018/9
Y1 - 2018/9
N2 - “Crowding out” is a widely accepted claim in migration analysis, which posits that the preference of profit-maximising employers for irregular and minimally regulated migrants overregulated alternatives will undermine, if not condemn to failure, well-regulated temporary migration schemes. In this paper, we test the crowding out hypothesis by examining the experience with well-regulated seasonal migrant worker programs in the horticultural sectors of Australia and New Zealand. This experience, which in both countries has involved recruitment of workers from the Pacific Islands, has been divergent, despite the two programs being similar in design. Our findings suggest that the relative attractiveness of regulated and unregulated migrant labour sources depends on a range of factors, including the export orientation of the sector, the costs of collective action and regulation, differences in policy design and implementation, and external factors. Depending on industry and economy-wide characteristics, quality and reputational benefits for employers can offset the cost of regulation.
AB - “Crowding out” is a widely accepted claim in migration analysis, which posits that the preference of profit-maximising employers for irregular and minimally regulated migrants overregulated alternatives will undermine, if not condemn to failure, well-regulated temporary migration schemes. In this paper, we test the crowding out hypothesis by examining the experience with well-regulated seasonal migrant worker programs in the horticultural sectors of Australia and New Zealand. This experience, which in both countries has involved recruitment of workers from the Pacific Islands, has been divergent, despite the two programs being similar in design. Our findings suggest that the relative attractiveness of regulated and unregulated migrant labour sources depends on a range of factors, including the export orientation of the sector, the costs of collective action and regulation, differences in policy design and implementation, and external factors. Depending on industry and economy-wide characteristics, quality and reputational benefits for employers can offset the cost of regulation.
KW - Pacific island countries
KW - horticulture
KW - labour mobility
KW - public policy
KW - seasonal workers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85053681787&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/app5.261
DO - 10.1002/app5.261
M3 - Article
SN - 2050-2680
VL - 5
SP - 462
EP - 480
JO - Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies
JF - Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies
IS - 3
ER -