Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the Chinese labour market in the Chinese immigrant economy in Vienna in the context of the Austrian migration regime as well as the socio-economic transformations of PR China since the 1980s.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the Chinese labour market in the Chinese immigrant economy in Vienna in the context of the Austrian migration regime as well as the socio-economic transformations of PR China since the 1980s. While Chinese immigrant economy has been providing Chinese workers with earning opportunities unavailable for them in the mainstream economy, it has deprived them of the rights of social welfare protection, impeding their social and economic integration in the mainstream society to a certain extent.

In the wake of globalization of China's economy and Chinese migration, Chinese transnational activities have given thrust to new business and employment opportunities in Vienna such as those in tourism and cultural industries in the last decade. These new economic activities have not only reinvigorated the Chinese immigrant economy, but also unlocked the door of an alternative path of prosperity and social mobility, in particular for a group of well-educated and well-connected Chinese. However, while some can enjoy the economic advantages induced by transnationalism, some other are excluded and remain as marginalized workers in the Chinese immigrant economy. This contributes to the emergence of internal stratification and widening of socio-economic distance among members of the Chinese working force in Vienna.