Woude, Froukje, van der (2026) Built on Bonds: How Social Connections Shape Working Conditions of Central and Eastern European Migrants in The Netherlands over Time. Research Master thesis, Research Master.
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Abstract
Due to the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and 2007, labor migration from Central and Eastern European countries to the Netherlands has increased in recent decades. These migrant workers are often employed in low-skilled jobs under poor working conditions. While the role of social capital in finding a job is well established, less is known about whether social capital can be leveraged to improve working conditions, despite the crucial role of working conditions in worker well-being. The present study examined the effect of social connections with both co-ethnic and native-born Dutch persons on a broad range of working conditions among Polish and Bulgarian labor migrants from 2013 to 2018, using the New Immigrant Survey - The Netherlands (NIS2NL). Bivariate Dual Change Score Modeling was employed to assess whether social contact predicts changes in working conditions over time. While both working conditions and social contact exhibited change over time, we found no evidence that social connections with either co-ethnic or native-born Dutch persons influence changes in working conditions. Our findings suggest that improving migrant working conditions requires institutional reform rather than relying only on informal mechanisms.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Research Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Bilecen, B. and Huisman, J.M.E. |
| Degree programme: | Research Master |
| Differentiation route: | Lifespan Development and Socialization [Research Master] |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Apr 2026 08:39 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Apr 2026 09:36 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/6349 |
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