Digital Bridges and Social Ties: Middling Migrants’ Telework Experiences Across the Covid‐19 Pandemic

Rosária Ramos and Sónia P. Gonçalves
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Rosária Ramos: Centro de Administração e Políticas Públicas, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Sónia P. Gonçalves: Centro de Administração e Políticas Públicas, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Social Inclusion, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: The Covid‐19 pandemic accelerated digital work practices and reshaped the professional and social lives of highly skilled middling migrants. While research has assessed telework during the crisis, less is known about how digitally mediated work experiences evolved across the pre‐pandemic, pandemic, and post‐pandemic phases, and how those experiences influenced social ties, mobility opportunities, and institutional engagement. This study explored these dynamics using 23 semi‐structured interviews with Portuguese and Brazilian teleworkers employed by globalized firms, reviewing their telework experiences across all three phases. The findings reveal that digital mediation served as a double‐edged sword: It acted as a bridge to transnational networks, while simultaneously limiting local integration and profound relationships. Comparative analysis between middling migrants and non‐middling migrant teleworkers demonstrates that the pandemic intensified the ambivalence of the middling condition, transforming the workplace social ties and anchoring professionals’ sense of belonging to digital visibility. In the post‐pandemic landscape, telework has solidified into a stratified practice, facilitating stable digital inclusion for some while entrenching the peripheral status of others. This article contributes to theories of middling migration and digital transnationalism by introducing the concept of differential digital permeability, where the effect of digital tools varies according to geographical and biographical positioning. It concludes with implications for corporations operating across national contexts, highlighting the need for policies that foster genuine inclusion in hybrid work environments.

Keywords: middling migrants; post‐pandemic work; social ties; telework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:12069

DOI: 10.17645/si.12069

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