‘Needed not wanted’: An interdisciplinary examination of the work-related challenges faced by irregular migrants Philip Marfleet a, ⁎, David L. Blustein b a School of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of East London, Docklands Campus, University Way, London E16 2RD, UK b Boston College, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Campion 315, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA article info abstract Article history: Received 23 March 2011 Available online 27 March 2011 Using an integrative perspective drawn from vocational psychology and migration studies, this article explores the lives of irregular migrants, which represents a unique aspect of work-based migration. Irregular migrants are those individuals who travel from regions without much work to states that offer some means of employment, without formal immigration documentation. The relational and social contexts of migration of working people to states that offer employment (albeit limited and with many attendant risks) are presented. Using the broad framework provided by the psychology of working coupled with the relational perspectives of working, prominent resources and barriers in the working lives of irregular migrants are described, including social capital, social support, culture as a source of support, and social oppression. Future directions for research that can inform public policy are provided at the conclusion of the article. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Migration Relationships and work Poverty and work Immigration The work experiences of irregular migrants are beset with instability, fear, and loss of relational connections, often culminating in dispossession and even death (e.g., Gregory & Schiller, 2004; Hiott, Grzywacz, Davis, Quandt, & Arcury, 2008). While some scholars in career development have sought to explicate the struggles of immigrants and refugees (e.g., Yakushko, Backhaus, Watson, Ngaruiya, & Gonzalez, 2008; Yakushko & Chronister, 2005), there has been a notable absence of attention to irregular or undocumented workers. As a means of exploring the complex challenges faced by irregular migrant workers, we propose an interdisciplinary perspective, as reflected in the current authorship team of a migration scholar and vocational psychologist. By taking this approach we seek to reduce the invisibility of irregular workers by making them the “figure” as opposed to the “ground” of the work-based literature on immigration. The emerging literature on career migration has generally focused on individuals with some degree of volition in their work lives (e.g., Smits, 2001; Stovel & Savage, 2006). The vast majority of migrants, however, do not have traditional, volitional careers; rather, they leave their homes, and often their families, in order to seek means of financial support and survival (Chomsky, 2007; Yakushko et al., 2008). Indeed, in these circumstances, the modal “career” migrant is an unskilled or semi-skilled worker forced to leave his/her home to find a source of sustenance. For the media and for many academic analysts (e.g. Djajić, 1997; Hanson, 2006), migrants who evade border controls are considered “illegals”. In our view, this term is unsatisfactory. As will become clear, legislation on border controls has long been ridden with contradictions and has been applied variously and inconsistently. The migration “regime” in the United States – the laws, institutions and practices governing cross-border movement – encourages both formal and informal immigration, the latter associated with undocumented migrants whose presence has largely been accepted by the authorities (Spener, 2000). A more appropriate term to describe those who move under such circumstances is the “irregular” migrant (Marfleet, 2006). (See also the discussion of definitional terms by the Centre for Research on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), 2010. Irregular movers may Journal of Vocational Behavior 78 (2011) 381–389 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: p.marfleet@uel.ac.uk (P. Marfleet), david.blustein@bc.edu (D.L. Blustein). 0001-8791/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2011.03.022 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Vocational Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jvb