Research project Agents of migration: A comparative study of migration intermediaries in three labour market sectors

Despite growing evidence that migration intermediaries play a crucial role in giving shape to international mobility and migration, there is a considerable lack of knowledge about these actors. Specifically, there is the need to shed new light on the complex interplay between labour mobility regimes and migration intermediaries. This project addresses this gap through comparative analysis of migration intermediaries in three sectors of the labour market. They are: (1) multinational corporations and immigration service providers, which channel highly skilled labour to Sweden's information technology sector, (2) Chinese recruitment agencies and social networks, which organise the migration of restaurant workers to Sweden, and (3) ai staffing agencies, which recruit Thairice farmers and act as their employers while they work in Sweden's wild berry industry on a seasonal basis. This project aims to contribute much needed knowledge about the relationship between migration intermediaries and mobility regimes that extends beyond the notion that migration intermediaries simply manipulate labour mobility regimes by identifying weaknesses in the system, exploiting regulatory loopholes, getting around red tape and so forth. Instead,this research shows how the activities of migration intermediaries, directly or indirectly, also contribute towards shaping and reshaping the very policy space in which they operate.