International labour migration dynamics and inequality in Southeast Asia

Abstract

This study of ILM in Southeast Asia, and the politics of migration and inequality, centres on the immigration policies of Malaysia and Singapore and on the governance of ILM. Nevertheless, it cuts across the two-nation unit of analysis, since migration links these countries' broader engagement with labour-sending states in the region. From this perspective, migrant labour flows across different political, economic and social systems, and the foreign workers' migration experiences, capture the political dynamics of ILM in Southeast Asia. The analysis is based on three aspects of the new geography of migration in the region. First, it reviews Singapore and Malaysia's immigration policies and instruments and the forms of regulation developed by these states to monitor and control the employment of professional and skilled migrants on the one hand, and temporary guest workers on the other. Second, it looks at the structure of the migration industry and the role of employment agencies and their collusion with business and employers. Third, it examines the patterns of gendered migration flows, the experiences of migrant workers and the public controversies arising in response to abuses (and deaths) of migrant workers overseas. The study also explores the work of activists concerned with migrant labour issues and assists us in considering access to more equitable outcomes for migrant workers. Three key points are made. First, given the different migration categories (for example, professional/skilled migration; low-skilled temporary migration), not all migrants experience inequality in their migration experiences. Second, associational activity and advocacy by international and national non-state actors and trade unions have been critical in promoting positive migration experiences and more equitable outcomes for low-skilled migrants (especially domestic workers). Third, policy interventions at national and international levels are providing opportunities for greater cooperation between migrant sending and destination states, particularly in the realm of human rights.