Job segmentation and job quality: An agriculture sector case study

Abstract

This study reassesses job segmentation in UK agriculture under post-Brexit migration regulation. Using a qualitative case study of a fruit company, it examines to what extent agricultural work remains organized into distinct job quality segments, how citizenship and visa status shape placement across those segments, and how health and well-being vary across them. Findings identify a multi-tier hierarchy extending beyond a primary–secondary divide, including marginalized subsegments linked to visa dependency, nationality, and language. Health and well-being outcomes become more adverse toward the lower tiers. The study shows that segmentation is institutionally contingent and must be reassessed when migration regulation changes.