Constituting Co-Ethnic Exploitation: The Economic and Cultural Meanings of Cash-in-Hand Jobs for Ethnic Chinese Migrants in Australia

Abstract

This article asks two questions: for immigrants, how is an exploitative labor market constituted, and how do immigrant employees and employers understand exploitation involving co-ethnics? Taking ethnic Chinese immigrants (PRC-Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kongese) as an example, this article examines employer hiring strategies, employee economic rationales, cultural perceptions, and the work experiences of ethnic Chinese migrant workers who find work in the informal sector in Australia. This article argues that language barriers, relatively higher earnings than home countries, the flexibility of cash-in-hand jobs, and the low expectation that job-seekers have of co-ethnic employers increase the willingness of ethnic Chinese migrants to work in the cash economy. On the other hand, employers look for an ‘obedient’ employee and create the image of a ‘good boss’ to decrease the expression of hostile emotions from their employees. Considering how economic factors and mutual cultural perceptions are embedded and reflected in the informal labor market, this article concludes that co-ethnic exploitation is formulated and justified by both employers and employees in Australia.