Seventeenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The Romanian context is increasingly noteworthy due to the growing presence of intermediation agencies facilitating the employment of non-EU workers. Escalating labour scarcity and a complex economy have forced companies to raise wages, making labour more expensive. In response, the government has expanded immigration policies for non-EU foreign workers, with quotas increasing from 7,000 in 2017 to 100,000 in 2022. This situation sees firms recruiting internationally while authorities relax legislation, enabling low-skilled third-country citizens’ employment. This study explores how regular intermediaries contribute to flows of irregular migrants, examining their role within the migration industry. These intermediaries act as both state agents for implementing policies and as migrant facilitators, resulting in irregular migration. While initially appearing as regular intermediaries, their roles transformed during migration from South Asia to Romania, categorising them as irregular figures. We argue that intermediaries’ irregularity maintains and reinforces the Romanian migration industry. Despite benefiting from successful placements, if migrants fail to reach their destination, the labour recruitment process repeats, increasing demand and state quotas, leading to more low-paid, precarious, and informal jobs. This qualitative study is based on 42 in-depth interviews with intermediation agency managers and private recruiters and 17 meetings with companies involved in recruiting Asian labour.