Abstract
Literature on the economic incorporation of immigrants to new destinations has been missing a discussion on how the strength of the local economy affects immigrants’ need for social networks and how it might also affect the relative importance of strong versus weak ties for immigrant job seekers. Through the use of in-depth interviews, the role and importance of social networks in the labor market incorporation of Hispanic immigrants in economically weak cities is examined, as well as the consequences to those immigrants who are unable to command or lack access to social networks and/or ethnic resources. This paper contextualizes the importance of strong ties for immigrants in economically weak new destinations and argues that in places with such a constricted labor market and stagnant economies, it is imperative for recent arrivals to access and/or construct these strong ties in order to more effectively gain entry into the host society’s labor market.
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Acknowledgments
This project was made possible thanks to a Russell Sage Foundation grant (no. 880516). Special thanks go to Nancy Denton and Richard Alba for allowing me to participate in this project and for their feedback.
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Villarrubia-Mendoza, J. Tú velas por los tuyos: Weak Labor Markets and the Importance of Social Networks. Int. Migration & Integration 17, 631–648 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-015-0414-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-015-0414-4