Precarious employment increasingly defines labor markets, disproportionately affecting migrant workers. This study explores the lived experiences of precarious employment among Asian Indian migrants in the hospitality sector in Ireland and the UK. Drawing on Allan et al.'s (2021) Work Precarity Framework and framed by the Psychology of Working Theory (Duffy et al., 2016), the research examines three dimensions of precarity: precarity of work (job insecurity and workplace uncertainty), precarity at work (social rejection and discrimination), and precarity in work (poverty and unmet needs). Intersectional factors including age, gender, migration status, and education are also considered.


A purposive sample of 20-30 participants is being recruited across Dublin and London, with semi-structured interviews conducted over a three-month period. To date, 18 interviews have been completed and analysed thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Emerging findings indicate widespread job insecurity, limited prospects for career progression, and heightened vulnerability tied to migration status and visa restrictions. Experiences of exclusion and stereotype-based discrimination were common, particularly among women and younger migrants, while economic precarity often intersected with pressures to remit earnings. Despite these challenges, participants described strategies of resilience, including drawing on community networks, pursuing skill development, and reframing precarious work as a stepping stone toward long-term goals.


Preliminary results highlight how structural conditions of migration interact with employer practices to exacerbate inequality in the hospitality sector. At the same time, migrant workers demonstrate agency in navigating and making meaning of precarity. These findings contribute to debates on migrant labor and inequality in European contexts and underscore the need for stronger protections ensuring equitable and secure employment conditions.