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Betwixt and Between: The Spectrum of Formality Revealed in the Labor Market Experiences of Mexican Migrant Workers in the United States

The Cadmus Group, 720 SW Washington Street, Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205, carrie.cobb{at}cadmusgroup.com

Mary C. King

Department of Economics, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, kingm{at}pdx.edu

Leopoldo Rodriguez

International Studies and Economics, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207, leopoldo{at}pdx.edu

Interviews with Mexican migrant workers in Portland, Oregon, reveal the inadequacy of the conception of informality to capture the complexity of their labor market experiences in the United States. We propose the term "semi-formal" to describe the large gray area between formal and informal employment, and a spectrum of formality with which to think about the degree of formality present in any particular employment situation.

Key Words: informal labor markets • immigration • social networks • labor standards

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Review of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 41, No. 3, 365-371 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0486613409336351


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