earticle

영어

This study examines transnational capital and labor mobility between China and Japan through long-term qualitative research on Dalian's IT industry from 2003 to 2025. Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews conducted during two fieldwork periods (2013-2016 and 2023-2025), it analyzes how technological advancement, geopolitical shifts, and economic policy changes have transformed cross-border labor migration and class stratification in East Asia. The development of Dalian's IT industry is divided into four phases: Growth Period (2003-2008), Restructuring Period (2008-2015), Localization Transition (2015-2022), and Deglobalization Transition (2022-2025). During the Growth Period, Dalian emerged as a core hub for Japanese IT offshoring, processing up to 90% of Japan's offshore operations due to geographic proximity, regional affinity, abundant Japanese-speaking workforce, low labor costs, and government incentives. The Restructuring Period saw continued offshoring growth despite the 2008 financial crisis, though Japan's market share declined from 90.9% to 52.8% by 2014. The Localization Transition featured rapid wage increases, institutional reforms, and political tensions, leading to mass replacement of Japanese expatriates with local Chinese workers, especially bilingual professionals. The Deglobalization Period since 2022 has witnessed corporate withdrawals and layoffs driven by Japan's Economic Security Promotion Act and China's Anti-Espionage Law, causing reverse migration to Japan and relocation to Southeast Asia. This research makes three contributions: demonstrating how global capitalism repositions labor for cost reduction; examining locally-hired workers rather than privileged expatriates to reveal East Asian labor market realities; and analyzing how post-2020 deglobalization intensifies labor precarity and class polarization. The findings show that transnational mobility is determined by complex factors beyond wages?including career prospects, social networks, and geopolitical risks?challenging conventional globalization narratives.