Silent capital: The invisible value of migrant labor and marginal voices in the global economy

This study analyzes the nature of migrant labor as “silent capital” within the global economy and examines the structural role of invisible forms of work in capitalist production relations. Through a qualitative analysis based on user discourses collected from the Reddit platform, the research reveals how migrant workers, engaged in low-wage, precarious and flexible employment, contribute invisibly to capital accumulation. Employing a phenomenological design, the study applies the traditional content analysis method to interpret the data. The findings demonstrate that migrant labor functions as a “silent wealth transfer mechanism” within the neoliberal economy, sustaining the cycle of cheap production and cheap consumption at the expense of labor devaluation. Moreover, the care work performed by women migrants transforms into an invisible form of emotional capital within global care chains, highlighting the reproduction of gender-based inequalities within economic systems. In this respect, the study contributes to the literature on feminist economics and migration economics by emphasizing that migrant labor should be conceptualized not merely as a micro-level labor input but as a macroeconomic variable essential to the sustainability of global capital accumulation. By discussing the implications of invisible labor for international production networks, income distribution and welfare policies, the study offers a critical perspective and makes a significant contribution to the field of economics.