Robots and Immigrants: Who Is Stealing Jobs?

The authors explore the trope of stealing jobs in relation to discourses of automation and immigration, arguing that there is a relationship between these discourses, which legitimize a divisive type of neoliberal governmentality that weaponizes anxieties about job insecurity and the impact of migration on job prospects and public services in the UK after Brexit. They contend that discussions about labor displacement by automation do not have the same level of hostility as those about the impact of migrants. They examine how the competitive labor market constructs political and social subjects, including the relationship between neoliberalism and racism; the role of inequality in the competitive labor market, focusing on the campaign Pick for Britain aimed at recruiting domestic horticultural and farm workers and the Thank You Amazon Teams campaign praising drivers and warehouse workers; and how technological development and the automation of work dominates political thinking and policy. They describe the purpose of immigration policy and whether a government can truly be pro-immigration, within the context of the history of British migration policy, as well as how migrant workers could be understood as robots, as they are defined by their economic value and utility while being denied their humanity and social needs; how employers and sectors with a high concentration of migrant workers are likely to continue to rely on this labor, despite increased investment in automation; and political and theoretical alternatives to neoliberalism. Distributed in the US by Marston Book Services. Annotation ©2022 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Who steals jobs? Who owns jobs? Focusing on the competitive labour market, this book scrutinises the narratives created around immigration and automation. The authors explore how the advances in AI and demands for constant flow of immigrant workers eradicate political and working rights, fuelling fears over job theft and ownership. Shedding light on the multiple ways in which employment is used as an instrument of neoliberal governance, this revealing book sparks new debate on the role of automation and migration policies. It is an invaluable resource for academics and practitioners working in the areas of immigration and labour, capitalism and social exclusion, and economic models and political governance.