Migrant mobility and value creation in hospitality labour

This study examines diverse forms of value that migrant workers create through their employment in hospitality. The paper draws on insights from valuation studies and research on migrants' transnational resources to consider the experiences of Kenyans who worked in the hospitality sector while abroad. The paper introduces the notion of ‘indefinite capacities’ to conceptualise the amorphous nature of skills, capabilities and resources that may be developed through hospitality work. The findings explore how value is constructed and negotiated within occupational, cultural and psychological domains, examining how and why indefinite capacities are (de)valued in specific moments, and how they are (re)appraised in the wider context of migrants' careers and lives

Underemployment and lived experiences of migrant workers in the hotel industry : policy and industry implications

Although previous research has considered both high- and low-skilled migrant workers’ career experiences in their host countries, this paper makes a unique contribution by presenting unmet career expectations of a cohort of professional migrant hotel workers in the UK. It injects a fresh insight by demonstrating their hotel skill and professionalism contribution to the UK hotel sector, yet progression of their hotel career is restricted by immigration regulations. Skilled migrant workers in this study encounter underemployment despite their qualifications and skills, resulting in career frustration. However, removal of immigration restrictions would permit their flexibility to change occupations, often to jobs where they can exploit their transferable skills. Empirical data were generated in the form of modified life histories, based on interviews that were conducted with Kenyan skilled migrant hotel workers. Examining the lived experiences of these workers presents a platform to highlight the role that structural factors play in inhibiting migrant workers’ hotel career progression. This paper suggests ways in which hotel employers can tap into the workers’ cultural capital in order to improve hotel business performance whilst making meaningful use of their qualifications and skills

Exploring career (im)mobilities of Kenya hoteliers in the UK

This paper serves as a useful conduit in ‘voicing’ migrants’ lived experiences in a foreign country and in particular, considers shedding some light on the impact of migration on migrants’ hotel careers. With reference to Kenyan hotel migrant workers in this study, their career development (or lack of) in the UK is examined. The traditional theory of career mobility whereby education and professional training have a strong positive impact on careers is challenged in this study. Instead we found that despite their world class industry-specific training, Kenyan workers faced multiple (im)mobilities in their workplace. Using the mobilities theory and it's dimensions of 'power' and 'emotions' we explore the lived and career experiences of these migrant workers. We examine how their skills are under-deployed and the emotional disruptions that follow.We draw attention to the changes in the politics of power of movement in foreign land. This knowledge is generated by the use of modified life history interviews with thirty-two Kenyan migrants including tenface to face and six Skype interviews conducted with participants that were still living and working in the UK. The remaining sixteenface-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who had returned to Kenya. The life history technique gives the overall picture of an individual, however, this research, focussed only on the career stage of the particpants and as such, parameters were drawn which started with their post secondary education through to their working lives as at the time of the interviews

An African dilemma : pastoralists, conservationists and tourists - reconciling conflicting issues in Kenya

Kenya is facing irreconcilable tensions by competing interests from conservationists, tourism developers and pastoralists. Concerns arising from the well-being of flora and, in particular, fauna by conservationists; tourists and commercial tourism; and the increasingly restricted use of traditional lands and herding animals by pastoralist indigenous communities, have populated the discourse of land use in Kenya. In this paper, we look into the varying perceptions of each group of stakeholders and seek to analyse the current narrative that gives priority to wildlife protection and the commercial exploitation of wildlife through high-end tourism development to the detriment of the rights and interests of pastoralism. As pastoral land becomes more appropriated, our analysis shows that the antagonistic relationship between conservationism, commercial tourism and pastoralism is likely to deteriorate. We therefore propose a more participatory model of tourism development that will allow pastoralist communities to have a voice in the process

Career experiences of Kenyan migrant hotel workers in the UK hotel sector

Globalisation has led to many people moving from one country to another. The service sector, particularly the hosptiality and tourism sector is considered labour-intensive, therefore, acts as magnet for migrant labour and as such, is largely reliant on marginal workers. Furthermore, the hospitality industry is often used as an entry to the labour market, and finds itself as a large employer of migrant workers. However, the industry lies in the secondary labour market which is characterised by low wages, poor training, low unionisation, and general poor working conditions.Nevertheless, a career in the hospitality and tourism sector is often considered vibrant unlike in the western context. In the Kenyan context, workers undego a rigorous training, equipping them to work not only for their country but globally. Thus, the low-skill perception of the hospitality sector in the west, presents inconsistency in the labour market for a skilled workforce with the desire to pursue a career in the industry.;As such, skilled Kenyan hotel migrant workers are faced with the limitations to progress their hotel career abroad. The presence of structural factors limits migrants' career mobility in the host country resulting in underemployment and a degradation of their skills in advanced economies, such as the UK. construed as career loss.In evaluating the empirical evidence of the skilled Kenyan hotel migrant wokers, concepts have been employed to develop a framework for the understanding of complex intersection of a number of inter-related themes that include, inter alia, economic migration, migrant professional and social integration, motives for migrants to leave or stay in their host country and occupational underemployment, thereby contributing to migrant labour literature.Globalisation has led to many people moving from one country to another. The service sector, particularly the hosptiality and tourism sector is considered labour-intensive, therefore, acts as magnet for migrant labour and as such, is largely reliant on marginal workers. Furthermore, the hospitality industry is often used as an entry to the labour market, and finds itself as a large employer of migrant workers. However, the industry lies in the secondary labour market which is characterised by low wages, poor training, low unionisation, and general poor working conditions.Nevertheless, a career in the hospitality and tourism sector is often considered vibrant unlike in the western context. In the Kenyan context, workers undego a rigorous training, equipping them to work not only for their country but globally. Thus, the low-skill perception of the hospitality sector in the west, presents inconsistency in the labour market for a skilled workforce with the desire to pursue a career in the industry.;As such, skilled Kenyan hotel migrant workers are faced with the limitations to progress their hotel career abroad. The presence of structural factors limits migrants' career mobility in the host country resulting in underemployment and a degradation of their skills in advanced economies, such as the UK. construed as career loss.In evaluating the empirical evidence of the skilled Kenyan hotel migrant wokers, concepts have been employed to develop a framework for the understanding of complex intersection of a number of inter-related themes that include, inter alia, economic migration, migrant professional and social integration, motives for migrants to leave or stay in their host country and occupational underemployment, thereby contributing to migrant labour literature