The Emergence of New Translocal Labor Markets in Algeria
Dalila Nadi
Today, the earnings from petroleum that were accumulated during Algeria’s period of political crisis are being used to reconstruct the country, with Chinese companies playing an increasingly important role. Because of their longstanding political and ideological closeness, the People’s Republic of China and Algeria enjoy privileged relations. Historically, the two countries shared common economic values and socialistic ideologies and today, both are attempting to make the big leap into the free-market economy.
But this is happening on the basis of different concerns and strategies: China seeks to develop new markets on the African continent using Algeria as the star-ting point for expanding its trade, while Algeria’s choice of trading partner was heavily influenced, among other things, by the favorable conditions that China offers. In particular, Algeria’s building sector is increasingly dominated by Chinese companies that recruit, among others, Africans who are en route to Europe to work on their construction projects.
Dalila Nadi investigates the interactions in Algeria’s building sector between the Algerian state and Chinese companies on one hand, and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa on the other.
There’s a new development in Algeria: Many Chinese and African migrant la-borers, seeing new opportunities in Algeria’s economic boom, decide to settle there after their work contracts have expired. These new spaces of interaction and conflicts of interest are examined against the background of social, political and economic aspects. The implications of both the Chinese government’s investments and the reality of Chinese and sub-Saharan immigrants increasingly becoming established in Algeria’s private sector are also addressed.
|
