International labour migration and migration policies in Southeast Asia

dc.contributor.authorHugo, G.
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstract<jats:sec><jats:title><jats:bold>Abstract</jats:bold></jats:title><jats:p>Labour migration is the dominant form of international migration in the Southeast Asian region. It involves movement both within and outside the region with Southeast Asia having some of the world’s major origin and destination countries for labour migrants. There is a bifurcation in policies toward labour migrants between high-skilled and low-skilled workers. While there is a manifest demand for both groups, the former are welcomed and enjoy an array of freedom and rights, while the latter are reluctantly accepted under tight restrictive conditions. The failure to recognise that labour migration is a continuing structural feature of Southeast Asian economies has been a significant barrier to migration being able to deliver the maximum potential positive outcomes, not only to the migrants, but also to the economies of origin and destination countries. There is a pressing need for a more evidence-driven, rights-based approach to all labour migration and a shift from the dominance of a policing model to a management model of governance. There are a number of promising developments in the region with respect to labour migration policy but it still suffers from a lack of management capacity, poor governance, ‘rent taking’, corruption and mismanagement. There is a pressing need for the development and adoption of best practice models, especially in relation to low-skilled migration.</jats:p></jats:sec>
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityGraeme Hugo
dc.identifier.citationAsian Journal of Social Science, 2012; 40(4):392-418
dc.identifier.doi10.1163/15685314-12341250
dc.identifier.issn1568-4849
dc.identifier.issn1568-5314
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/75456
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherNational University of Singapore, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology
dc.rights© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1163/15685314-12341250
dc.subjectinternational labour migration
dc.subjectSoutheast Asia
dc.subjectdevelopment
dc.subjectgovernance
dc.subjectbest practices
dc.titleInternational labour migration and migration policies in Southeast Asia
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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