Recruitment through migrant social networks from Latvia to the United Kingdom: Motivations, processes and developments

Abstract

A burgeoning body of literature exists in relation to the role of social networks in connecting migrant workers with employment opportunities, particularly in lower wage jobs. This evidence points to social networks being an attractive recruitment channel from the perspective of both migrants seeking employment and employers seeking employees. This analysis presents a wide breadth of original material, which examines recruitment through social networks from the perspective of both migrants and employers. This includes data drawn from an extensive mixed methods approach involving a novel online survey of Latvian migrants in the UK and face-to-face interviews with British low-wage employers. This study seeks to offer important and timely contributions to debates about the relationship between migrant social networks and low-wage employment and the implications of these recruitment mechanisms.