Key Trends and Issues on International Migration in Asia and the Pacific

Keiko Osaki-TomitaSocial Development Division

ESCAP

EGM on International Migration and Development in Asia and the PacificBangkok, 20-21 September 2008

Contents

Trends in International migration

Key features of international migrationTemporary labour migration

Feminization of labour migration

Student migration

Irregular migration, Trafficking

Remittances

Challenges of migration in AP

Summary and Conclusion

Long History of Population Movements

Movements of people in the Asian continent accompanied the rise and decline of empires

The “silk-road” joined the cultures of China, Central Asia, Western Asia and Europe

16th century: Arrival of European powers

Late 19th-early 20th century: Recruitment of foreign indentured workers during the colonial period

Contemporary migration in Asia-Pacific

Mid-1970s: Labour migration to the oil-producing countries in Western Asia

1980s: Growing intraregional migration in Eastern and South-eastern Asia; Large-scale refugee movements

1990s: Growing movements of skilled professionals, Feminization

2000- : Further diversification of flows

Permanent settlement to the West

Key Features of international migration in Asia and the Pacific

Temporary labour migration

Feminization of labour migration

Student migration

Irregular migration, Trafficking

Remittances

Refugees

Growing volume of labour migration in Asia

Feminization of labour migration

Women constitute a large proportion of labour outflows:

Philippines: 60%(2006)Indonesia: 83% (2004) Sri Lanka: 53% (2007)

Also significant from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Viet Nam.

Destination varies.Many work as domestic helpers, nurses, care workers, entertainers, factory workers, etc.

Student migration

Number of foreign students in the United States

-

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

1993

/9419

94/95

1995

/9619

96/97

1997

/9819

98/99

1999

/0020

00/01

2001

/0220

03/02

2003

/0420

04/05

Year

Num

ber

China

India

Japan

Republic of Korea

Canada

Taiw an, Province of China

Source: Open Door, 2005.

Student migration: Number of foreign students admitted to Australian universities

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Year

Num

ber

Overseas Students fromSouthern and Central AsiaOverseas Students fromNortheast AsiaOverseas Students fromSoutheast AsiaOther Overseas Students

Irregular migration, Human trafficking

Large irregular migrants

Japan (200,000+)

Malaysia (300,000 to 500,000)

Thailand (1.3 million registered in 20004)

Human trafficking has become wide spread transnational crime.

Source: G. Hugo (2006)

Migrant Remittances

Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators 2006)

Top 10 recipient developing countries in ESCAP region, 2007 (billions)

(US$ billion)

27 26

17

6 6 6 5 4 3 3

India

China

Philip

pines

Bang

lades

hPa

kistan

Indon

esia

Vietn

am

Russia

n Fed

erati

onAu

strali

aSr

i Lan

ka

Challenges of international migration (1)

Protection of the rights of migrants, especially for unskilled migrant workers, women workers. The issue is not yet fully addressed.

Regulation of recruitment agents: Need to develop credible and efficient recruitment system through licensing and close monitoring of agents’ operation.

Leveraging remittances for development: Mechanisms to maximize the development impacts of remittances have been largely absent.

Irregular migration: More effective measures needed to combat irregular migration, including human trafficking.

Challenges of international migration (2)

Impacts on family left behind: Separation of family could be detrimental to family cohesion and marital stability.

Children left behind: More research on long-term impacts is needed.

Philippines (3 to 6 million), Indonesia (1 million), Thailand (500,000)

Marriage migration on the rise: Can be linked to fraudulent marriages and trafficking. Integration of foreign spouses and the children of internationally married couples.

S. Korea (14% of new marriages in 2005 were between a Korean and a foreign spouse).

Summary and conclusion

International migration will increase in scale and complexity

Migration is becoming a long term structural feature of economies in the region

Social dimensions of migration also deserve more attention

Need to combat misinformation and lack of understanding, through research and effective advocacy

Thank you