Labour mobility in transition: a multi-actor study of the re-regulation of migrant work in 'low-skilled' sectors

Migration for work is a key part of employment in the UK, but it will change critically after Brexit, with significant restrictions being placed on migration into low-skilled jobs. Jobs in sectors such as food, care and warehousing have been identified as of high social value during the pandemic. The aim of this research is to examine how stakeholders in low-skilled sectors in the UK are responding to the changing regulation of migration. While there has been a wealth of economic analysis on the impact of Brexit on migration, research on stakeholder responses to changes is limited. We know little about how employers are adapting their human resource strategies, whether they are looking to employ migrant workers, the impact of new visa rule and how they are re-designing work or developing skills among the workforce. Little is known about how employers, workers, unions and other stakeholders engage in dialogue over the changing migration environment. Drawing on established frameworks around social dialogue in employment relations and applying these to the area of migration, our project provides innovative approaches to understanding this unprecedented transition in labour mobility. We will provide an analysis across 4 key sectors and will examine the experiences of a range of stakeholders, including employers, migrant and local workers, unions, local authorities, community groups and policy makers. The research is comprised of 3 inter-connected work packages, blending quantitative and qualitative methods and designed to ensure dialogue with stakeholders to jointly produce the project outcomes.

In Work Package 1 a new survey will be carried, examining employer use of migrant labour, responses to the post-Brexit, pandemic context and employer perceptions and experiences of dialogue around migration. This will generate responses from 2000 employers nationally in Residential and Social Care, Hospitality, Food and Drink Processing and Warehousing.

In Work package 2, we will capture the lived experiences and strategies of migrant and local workers, employers and other stakeholders within the Yorkshire and Humber region, undertaking 3 in-depth workplace-based case studies in each of our 4 sectors, with a total of 132 interviews. Alongside these, 20 interviews (5 per sector) will be conducted with recruitment agencies, skills bodies, employer organisations, civil society and migrant support groups.

In Work Package 3, we will analyse sector-specific initiatives on managing the new migration environment, conducting 6 case studies of key initiatives. We will also undertake 8 participatory workshops bringing participants together to discuss issues around migration for work and its changing regulation. The research will be disseminated as early as possible, and will be designed to be of use for policy and practice in the areas of Human Resources, Recruitment, Trade Unions, Migrant Support, Skills, and Supply Chain Management.

Key outputs will be:
* Findings from a new survey in 4 key low-skill sectors on employer responses to the post-Brexit, post-pandemic context
* Research findings from 12 case studies and sector-level stakeholder interviews
* Research findings from interviews about sector-level initiatives
* Summary briefings for external partners, participants and wider networks
* A final report and policy briefing for regional and national policy makers
* 6 single and co
* User friendly resources tailored to different stakeholders (e.g. managing the transition booklets for HR practitioners, know your rights pamphlets for unions)
* A Seminar/Webinar series co-delivered with partners
* 200 fully transcribed interviews, plus transcripts of stakeholder and workshops, prepared for archiving
* A final event in Westminster presenting key findings and discussing way forward for policy makers with external partners, academic beneficiaries and international advisor
* 6 academic articles in international journals