Understanding the effects of labour migration on families, work and identities: a case study of Filipino labour migrants and their families

The project will explore the definition of migration and diaspora pertaining to the Filipino community in the UK. It will consider the beginnings of the Filipino diaspora as well as the circumstances surrounding labour migration occurring outside the Philippines. The project will identify the reasons behind the labour migrants' choice to migrate and reflect on their personal experiences within the host country. Furthermore, the project will consider the ways in which labour migrants perceive the homeland and identify if this has changed post-migration. It will then explore the ways that labour migrants reintegrate to the culture of the home country upon return. The project will also consider the 'invisible' people or the families of the labour migrants. It is crucial to acknowledge this group as they are also indirectly affected by the phenomenon of migration. This can be in terms of the shift in family dynamics, the changes in what constitutes the nuclear family in the Philippines and feelings of abandonment from the relatives of the labour migrants. The importance to undertake this research is to further our knowledge regarding the impacts of migration especially within the Filipino diaspora as very limited studies have been undertaken which informs the migratory experiences of this particular ethnic group in the UK. Furthermore, this is in line with the ESRC's
priority of interpreting the nature of the global political economy and intersects with labour migration, which can inform how political events such as Brexit affect the behaviours of labour migrants during economic recessions.