The Covid-19 crisis has revealed the central role of labour in international migration issues. This is particularly evident in France in the current debates surrounding the immigration law. However, within the academic world, the social sciences specialised in labour and migration studies have not always converged. Recently, there has been a renewed interest that articulates these different perspectives. Indeed, work remains central to significant migratory movements and policies (agricultural workers, posted workers, the employment of asylum seekers, etc.), of an international and gendered division of labour (care work and personal services, etc.). Work is also core to social justice in our contemporary societies. We will ask both what migration does to work, but also what changes in the labour market do to migration.
The 2023 international conference of the French Collaborative Institute on Migration (ICM) aims to provide an overview of current research articulating work and migration and to reflect on some of the historical, epistemological and political debates characterising this field of study. By bringing together researchers from various disciplines, approaches, and countries, this conference will provide a unique opportunity to take stock of current work on this topic, offering stimulating perspectives from both an empirical and methodological point of view.
