Migration Networks: A Case Study in the Philippines

Abstract

International labor migration has been a major feature of the Philippine political economy the past twenty years. Originally envisioned by the government as a temporary measure to ease domestic employment pressure and stimulate industrialization, migration has persisted in the face of declining wages and abusive recruitment practices. Dynamic movement patterns have emerged that include a variety of destinations and occupations, drawing both males and females from widely diverse backgrounds. Focusing upon the experiences of a small community, this study suggests that contract labor is best understood within the migration process, linking global economic formations and domestic policy to internal structures in sending communities. The community experience reveals that economic forces and government policy are necessary conditions to establish potential migration, but actual flows are initiated and shaped by a migration system consisting of interpersonal relationships. What becomes more visible at the community level are the distinct phases of overseas employment, or periods of time dominated by particular types of migration and varying potential to achieve economic gains from such. The emergence and evolution of networks are analyzed for their role in shaping patterns of labor migration.