When the working life meets with international irregular migration: The case of Syrian immigrants in Sanliurfa province

The purpose of this study is to describe the case of working life affected by the international irregular migration caused by the Syrian civil war which was started in 2011. The study was conducted in Şanlıurfa province of Turkey which is one of the most affected cities from the Syrian migration and where Syrian immigrants mostly reside. Within the scope of the study, the situation of the working life was investigated concerning the migration phenomenon. The phenomenon was comparatively scrutinized from multiple perspectives providing a rich description of the case. Empirical material of the study was generated using semi-structured interviews. To describe the situation of working life within the context of irregular international migration, 40 face-to-face interviews, embracing most of the stakeholders including Syrian immigrants, Turkish entrepreneurs employing Syrian immigrants, and Syrian entrepreneurs operating in Turkey, were conducted in three different languages (Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic). Empirical material of the study descriptively analyzed and interpreted. Findings of the study revealed that kinship and Syrian migrant population is found to be determinant on job finding and workplace choice, location selection for entrepreneurs, and decisions on migration destination. Also, the study exposed the current situation of the working conditions, reasons for employment, and the problems associated with working life experienced by immigrant workers. Keywords: Irregular migration, Business, Working life, Syria, Şanlıurfa.