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Exploring the practice of coping among non-EU migrant care workers in the UK

Joseph Ebot Eyong et al.

Economic and Industrial Democracy: an international journal2026https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831x261423493article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Migrant care workers (MCWs) are increasingly relied upon in contemporary care economies, yet they often labour under restrictive immigration regimes and precarious employment conditions. This article explores how non-EU MCWs employed under the Health and Care Worker visa scheme in the UK cope with these constraints in their everyday work. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 20 West African MCWs and informed by practice theory, the study conceptualises coping as an enacted social practice rather than an individualised response to stress. The analysis identifies three interrelated forms of coping: collective and relational practices, hybridised caregiving practices and tactical acts of micro-resistance. These practices, we argue, illuminate how MCWs navigate legal dependency, workplace surveillance and devalued care labour while exercising limited but meaningful forms of agency. The article extends practice theory to migrant labour and coping literature, with implications for practice further highlighted.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831x261423493

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@article{joseph2026,
  title        = {{Exploring the practice of coping among non-EU migrant care workers in the UK}},
  author       = {Joseph Ebot Eyong et al.},
  journal      = {Economic and Industrial Democracy: an international journal},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831x261423493},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.