Humanism Under Construction: the Case of Mexican Circular Migration

In today’s world, given the relative importance that companies are giving to corporate social responsibility, sustainability, human rights, and ethics, it is logical to assume that the humanistic trend is gaining support over the economistic, especially in the most developed countries. The paper serves both to introduce the topic of circular migration and to suggest that humanistic management principles are not applied to circular migration programs. First, we contrast humanism with economism as fundamental approaches to business goal setting. Then, we discuss in more depth the concept of circular migration and explain the mechanisms under which this migration happens in the US and Canada. Next, by relying on Melé’s (Humanistic Management Journal 1: 33–55, 2016) propositions, we elaborate on the case of the Mexican workers who enroll in these temporary job programs, with attention to the programs’ pitfalls and outcomes. Finally, we conclude with reflections on further research in humanistic management as a tool for improving temporary migration movements.