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Drawing from comparative, international field research examining fast food labour migration from the Philippines and Mexico to western Canada, in this talk Dr. Polanco examines why the Philippines is outpacing countries like Mexico for employment in the fast food sector. She explores the distinct criterion which have been applied in the recruitment of Filipino and Mexican temporary workers, and how intermediaries in the sending context have responded to and stimulated demands for fast food labour. In so doing, Dr. Polanco finds that there is a competitive dimension to supplying international labour markets, and that a prime advantage that the Philippines has over countries like Mexico is its highly regulated migration apparatus, and willingness to transnationally deskill its nationals for employment in entry level occupations. This commercialization of flows can have the (unintended) consequence of branding national workforces, with Filipinos appearing a more apt subject for interactive occupations. This further shapes who is eventually considered suitable for belonging in Canada. Beyond Canada, these processes have broader implications not only to the inability of some states to leverage migration for development, but also to the global gendering and racialization of people and nations through temporary migrant worker programs.
About the speaker
Geraldina Polanco is an Assistant Professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University.
