Interconnected Exploitation: An Analysis of Exploitative Labor Experiences Across Occupational and Employee Contexts

• In Event: Innovative Applications of Network Analyses: People, Experiences, and Social Media

Abstract

Despite work and labor’s centralization in much of contemporary life, the process of uncovering how work and labor-related exploitation practically manifests and changes depending on occupational and worker characteristics. What is known is that the risk of exploitative labor does not cluster randomly but rather places certain communities at higher risk. This study uses data on labor exploitation from a sample of Latinx migrants in the San Diego area to uncover how individuals practically experience labor exploitation, which specific forms of exploitation are most central to one’s overall experiences, and uncover distinctions and similarities of exploitation depending on occupational and worker characteristics. Results indicate broadly deceptive labor practices—such as being lied to about the conditions of one’s job—are some of the most centrally defining forms of exploitation. Additionally, while these deceptive practices prove to be central, different occupational contexts fundamentally alter the broad structure of exploitative labor felt by workers. Often, jobs that share similar contexts—like construction and agriculture—elicit similarly patterned exploitation. However, while jobs present distinctions, some key similarities potentially uncover three latent forms of exploitative labor that manifest across working and worker contexts: 1) Restriction of communication and movement, 2) abusive labor practices, and 3) sexual abuse in the workplace. These findings potentially help convey the need for highly specified screening tools that take into account occupational and worker characteristics.

Author

• Stephen Abeyta, New York University