Longitudinal case study uncovers evolving mobility strategies among non-standard manufacturing workers, highlighting how local networks mitigate geopolitical supply-chain shocks.
Key Points
To examine how geopolitical trade tensions and subsequent supply-chain restructuring reshape labor mobility patterns and livelihood strategies among non-standard manufacturing workers in China.
Conducted a longitudinal case study focused on non-standard rattan weavers at a prominent Chinese outdoor leisure product export manufacturer.
Completed four rounds of qualitative fieldwork between 2021 and 2024 to trace changing labor dynamics, regulatory conditions, and contractor networks.
US–China trade tensions caused international buyers to alter governance arrangements, accelerating supply-chain restructuring and intensifying job precarity.
Worker mobility transitioned from short-term, sector-bound job circulation toward prolonged and diversified labor-market repositioning.
Kinship and locality-based social ties facilitated collective sense-making and served as primary conduits for securing alternative employment.