The socio-political dynamics of Brokers of new migrant labor in Shashemene, Ethiopia

The change in scale and functions of urban towns in Africa is accompanied by internally evolving institutional of socio-economic practices. In this paper we will address brokerage and recruitment of migrant labour in the town of Shashemen, Ethiopia. Brokerage in migrant labour is a relatively lucrative economic activity in the town and the competition among the brokers to attract migrants that arrive in the town in search of job is intensive. Claims over the brokerage system involve processes of negotiations, grouping, cooperation and conflicts when defining boundaries concerning who should have the right to conduct brokerage of migrantlabour. This is setting processes of institutionalization of both the system of brokerage and the terms of contract of labour recruitment. This paper addresses the conditions and processes that are shaping brokerage system and the changes being introduced in the actual contact systems in terms of ensuring security of employees and employers, enforcement of contact, reporting of underage migrants to the local authorities, registry of migrants, and income and tax declaration to the town administration.