Should I stay or should I go? The experience of making a living for Venezuelan migrants in Ibarra, Ecuador

Abstract

The aim of this study is two-fold. On the one hand, it explores the experience of making a living for Venezuelan migrants and on the other, their aspirations to migrate further or not. It set out to examine the influence of the experience of a specific area on Venezuelan migrants’ trajectory. In this study, this specific area is called Ibarra, a city close to Ecuador’s’ Northern border, and is often seen as a transit area for migrants during their migration route. Due to the political-, economical, and social crisis in Venezuelan, migrants are determined by certain pull factors when they started their migration trajectory, such as independence, better labour opportunities and increasing their economic resources. However, migrants high dependency on income and the limited employment opportunities in Ecuador, often result in Venezuelans taking jobs at the bottom of the employment hierarchy. These jobs are frequently being found in the informal sector. While informality has a clear positive impact on migrants in terms of easy access to the labour market, there are also many negative aspects of this sector. Due to the lack of receiving a labour contract, migrants do not receive legal security and access to social security. Therefore, workers in the informal sector are particularly vulnerable and face severe risks. Especially those with an irregular status, do not have the opportunity to receive a job in formal employment. These experiences in the labour market, have a direct effect on migrants’ aspiration to migrate further or not. However, due to immobility, it is often not an easy process for migrants to migrate from one place to another. This research conducted several interviews with organizations working for migrants and refugees in Ibarra to shed light on the overall experience of Venezuelan migrants. Moreover, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Venezuelan migrants to illustrate their unique stories and realities related to the topic of this research. Findings confirm the inequal position migrants have compared to inhabitants on the labour market and in terms of the ability to move freely. However, although there are many limitations for Venezuelan migrants, there are also occur particular possibilities.