Transnational Migration and Work in Asia (review)

Most of the chapters in this volume focus on specific migrant groups in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Thailand; the volume is a valuable contribution because it describes particular migrant situations that are usually overlooked in the study of larger migration flows. Maniemai Thongyou and Dusadee Ayuwat describe Lao migrant workers in Thailand, Anne Loveband focuses on Indonesian women in Taiwan, Kevin Hewison writes about Thai women workers in Hong Kong, Stephen Frost describes Nepalese construction workers in Hong Kong, Robyn Emerton and Carole Petersen study Filipina nightclub hostesses in Hong Kong, Alex H. Choi reviews labour migration to Macao, and Dennis Arnold and Kevin Hewison examine the situation of Burmese migrant workers in Mae Sot, Thailand.

Several themes unite the narrative of the volume and make it more than a collection of small-scale studies. The first is the way in which globalization, however defined, has shaped economies and labour demand, and driven labour migration within Asia since the 1970s. Ken Young contributes a chapter on how globalization has created and met a demand for migrant labourers and domestic service workers. He and others point out that employment opportunities for middle-class women in the more advanced economies have created a demand for migrant domestic workers to perform more of the labour within the household. He notes that the flow of migrants is often "serial" in that, for example, Thai workers migrate to more developed economies elsewhere in Asia while workers from poorer neighbouring countries migrate to take up low-paying and difficult jobs in Thailand. Remittances from overseas workers are often critical to household economies and significant in the national context. Young also notes the feminization of migrant labour in Asia owing to the demand for domestic service workers and workers in light manufacturing.

Some of the chapters provide significant historical and cultural depth. Adrian Vickers describes many of the traditions of mobility in what is now Indonesia. These have been caused by war and religious customs and, more recently, the government transmigration programme and demand for labour. He notes that in Javanese urbanization most migrants were women, as is generally true throughout East and Southeast Asia. Several of the chapters focus on migrant domestic workers, but Young's contribution interestingly places them in the context of large Chinese households that typically contain a variety of paid and unpaid workers, including relatives, bond servants, and hired servants. As the household often overlaps with the family business, household workers are used in both, a practice also noted by Loveband in Taiwan.

Another theme common to several of the chapters is the importance of networks to the migration process. These usually begin with the family and community making the decision to migrate. The actual movement is nearly always accomplished through recruitment and placement agencies. While working overseas, friendship networks often provide some protection for the migrants. In the situations described, few migrants benefit directly from government protection, and NGOs, while striving to provide services and protection, encounter many official, and other obstacles.

The most pervasive theme of this volume is the inability of governments in either source or host countries to offer significant protection to migrants. Although the concerned governments have considerable legislation and regulations in place, recruitment agencies and employers routinely circumvent the rules. Government agencies often lack the will, the mandate and the resources to enforce laws and regulations effectively.

Domestic servants lack protection largely owing to the nature of their employment. Industrial workers lack protection because governments routinely side with employers in formulating regulations governing their employment and in handling disputes.

Some chapters review the situation of female migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Thailand. Ninety per cent of Thai domestic workers in Hong Kong seem satisfied with their work and Macao has no trouble recruiting domestic workers from mainland China. Most Lao domestic workers in Thailand also do not report significant problems, perhaps because they enjoy the support of social networks and because their...