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Research project

ASEAN Labour Migration

  • Start date: 1 September 2022
  • End date: 31 August 2028
  • Principal investigator: Professor Jonathan Winterton
  • Co-investigators: Professor Yuka Fujimoto, Sunway University Business School; Dr Matthew Haigh, independent researcher; Dr Md Shamirul Islam, Sunway University Business School; Dr Mark Anthony Abenir, Ateneo de Manila University; Dr Nawawi, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional, Jakarta; Dr Neoman, Universitas Katolic Indonesia Atma Jaya, Jakarta; Professor Sukamdi, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta; Dr Koh Sin Yee, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Description

This project is an ambitious study of labour migration within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) including skilled and unskilled, documented and undocumented, workers and the associated financial transactions including payments to labour market intermediaries and remittances.

The project is motivated by the recognition that there has been no comprehensive study of labour flows throughout the region. The literature reveals a patchwork of local studies but no analysis of the overall patterns of movement.

Moreover, few studies address migration by different skill level and none have dealt with both documented and undocumented workers. Empirical studies of financial arrangements associated with labour migration are very rare. To address these gaps we have established a network of local experts in ASEAN countries.

Research overview

Initial scoping work is underway, mapping and reviewing the literature to establish what empirical evidence exists and validating, in detail, the gaps already identified. This ongoing literature review is a resource for developing funding proposals and early ‘collateral’ publications.

A theoretical framework has been developed that analyses the migration process at macro, meso and micro levels. The methodology will focus on the economic impact and lived experience of labour migrants in the main receiving countries and the effects of migration on the home countries, including remittances and labour market shortages.

One study of overseas Filipino workers in Malaysia is complete and an article is under review. Two studies are underway using the same methodology with Bangladeshi and Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

Key findings

Early findings confirm a complex mosaic of literature that reflects the complexity of labour migration in the region. The empirical studies are challenging the dichotomies of skilled/unskilled and documented/undocumented, suggesting a need for more nuanced continua. They are also highlighting diverse routes to the making of ‘irregular’ migrant labour.

Publications and outputs