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Brokering care: Women migration entrepreneurs in Indonesia

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians migrate for work abroad, and over ninety-five percent of these workers are recruited through private agencies. Among the top 25 agencies, twelve are led by women. These female migration entrepreneurs vary in background and strategy: some specialize in dispatching domestic workers to single destinations, while others eschew care work to pursue placement in formal sectors such as manufacturing and services. Regardless of placement focus, their success—measured in deployment volume—is largely built on reputations for low-cost or zero-cost recruitment and placement efficiency. Yet these women are not merely businesspeople; they are entangled in the shifting politics of migration governance and industry competition. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic observations, this paper explores how these women navigate the moral and political terrain of labor brokerage. It highlights how they strive to uphold what they see as ethical recruitment practices, reimagine their work as a form of social service, and pursue a vision of gendered progress and worker dignity.

Authors

Gracia Liu-Farrer, Firman Budianto

Year
2025
Publication Name
22nd IMISCOE Annual Conference
Category
Conference Paper / Proceedings
Keywords
women brokers, migration industry

MIGMOBS ERC AdG Project

Radical Humanities Laboratory, Wandesford Quay Research Facility, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland

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