Labour Migration and the Recent Financial Crisis in Asia

Accompanying a sustained period of economic growth, the flows of labour migrants between the economies of East and South-east Asia grew considerably prior to the recent crisis. These flows have become more diverse and complex rendering necessary the improved monitoring of migration trends and policies in each country as well as bringing forth the need to extend the exchange of expertise and experience between the region's experts and policy makers. What has been the impact of the crisis on national labour markets? How have the different countries modified their approach to the employment of foreign workers? To what extent have foreign workers been affected? These questions are examined in this publication, which identifies the impact of the Asian financial crisis on labour migration and the conditions of migrant workers in the region. In addition to keynote reports on the origins of the crisis and its policy implications, individual case studies on China, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand present detailed analyses of labour migration, the employment of foreign workers and the recent changes in migration policies.