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Much of intra‐Asian labour migration is regulated on the basis of governing tools that aim at managing cross‐border movement of workers on a strictly temporary, employer‐tied basis. The key elements involved in the operationalization of strictly temporary migration are recruitment, remittances and return; these three 'Rs' are also central to global policy discussions around the migration‐development nexus. The core premise of this paper is that this strict framework results in a particular form of migrant precarity which in turn shapes migrant transnationality, leaving migrants with severely circumscribed labour agency. This leads to the argument that temporary migration paradigm as practiced in much of Asia constitutes involuntary transnationalism. The paper ends by arguing that based on proactive migrant rights activism, the involuntary character of transnationalism is being challenged by bringing a different set of 'Rs' into the discussion derived from global social policy and global justice perspectives: regulation, redistribution and rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is revived interest and debate on the relation between international migration and development, with Asia emerging as one important locus for such deliberations. A number of institutions, journals, people and organizations have emerged as key players in these discussions but so far there have been few attempts to investigate the information gathered from the perspective of “knowledge production”. This paper’s objective, therefore, is to outline some of the ways in which knowledge about migration and development is being produced in Asia. We focus on selected aspects of knowledge production to identify the lenses through which much of the work is currently generated and the research imagination resulting from existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of cross-border migration in South-East and East Asia is linked to the integration of regional, if not global, labour markets. The types of labour that are currently in demand have changed substantially since the 1990s in terms of (1) overall magnitude, (2) gender composition, and (3) increased diversification. This paper, however, focuses upon those workers classified as unskilled as they constitute numerically the largest and most vulnerable group. The challenges to provide adequate protection from, and prevention of, exploitative and abusive practices that seriously minimize the socio-economic benefits for these workers are linked to migration policies and the issue of rights in the origin and destination countries.This paper's objective is to provide a broad outline of the emerging trends and issues revolving around contemporary cross-border labour migration and the politics of migrants' rights in South-East and East Asia, illustrated by the difficulties experienced with the ratification of the 1990 United Nations Convention on the Rights of All Migrants and their Families (ICMR). The data this paper is based upon were collected for a report commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with fieldwork carried out in seven countries located in the Asia Pacific region.It is argued that ratification of the ICMR is obstructed by politics and by a lack of political will. A rights-based approach to the protection of migrant labour is thus related to a number of macro and micro level issues, revolving around development and practices of“good governance” in addition to interstate relations. This means that the promotion of migrants' rights requires a holistic approach addressing national and transnational issues in an era of increasing mobility across borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore how individual women cope with the tensions between economic forces encouraging temporary labour migration and cultural norms tying 'proper' women to their homes and families. Combining in-depth interviews with returned migrant women in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi with secondary migration data for the region, we illustrate the recent increases in Georgian women's participation in international labour migration. Deteriorating economic conditions in Georgia leave women with few local opportunities to financially support their families, while institutional changes have altered the accessibility and attractiveness of international destinations, leading to increasing motivations and opportunities for women's migration. Focusing on the contradictions between growing female migration and persistent adherence to cultural norms stigmatizing migration in Georgia, we explore the cognitive strategies migrant women employ in an attempt to balance internalized perceptions of acceptable gendered behaviour with their migration choices. Two key pathways of adaptation emerge: framing migration as a necessity rather than a choice and stressing the unique and individually exceptional nature of their own migration experience. We posit that these strategies may serve to limit the norm-challenging nature of women's migration in Georgia. Although migration is often described as an empowering experience for women, if women migrants work to present their migration in a way that fits within the bounds of traditional gender norms, these norms may be strengthened rather than challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports published within this special issue on women migrant workers in Asia.

This article focuses on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), a landmark international document that builds on the momentum of a decade of initiatives at the international level on migration governance, and its impact on Asia from the perspective of South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and South Korea. While none of these countries voted against the adoption of the GCM, there are significant differences in how individual countries approached the commitments made in the GCM. These perspectives were articulated in a webinar hosted by Metropolis Asia on 20 June 2018 and in governmental statements made at the UN international conference when the GCM was adopted. This article also discusses the challenges confronting the implementation of the GCM. While the Compact resulted from inclusive and intensive negotiations and many compromises, the road towards realizing its goals will be at least as challenging as the road that led to its adoption. In spite of these challenges, the GCM is a ground‐breaking representation of the first multilateral framework for migration governance. Its success rests upon the recognition that addressing the challenges and maximizing the benefits of migration require true international cooperation, renewed commitment and meaningful action on the commitments agreed to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of workers' remittances and its volatility on economic growth of five South Asian countries by employing long time series data from 1975 to 2009. Cointegration results confirm a significant positive long run relationship between remittances and economic growth in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, but a significant negative relationship in Pakistan. Conversely, the volatility of workers' remittances has a negative and significant effect on economic growth in Pakistan, Indian, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but a negative but insignificant impact in Nepal. All sensitivity analyses confirm that the results are robust. A less volatile inflow of workers' remittances is growth-enhancing for all countries. It is suggested that policy makers should make policies to reduce the transaction cost to welcome remittances into the region. Furthermore, countries like Pakistan should make the policies to discourage voluntary unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The labour force of the migrant domestic workers ( MDWs) has become one of the significant policy concerns in Asia. Most of the Asian countries are not following (or not to an equal extent) the Domestic Workers Convention 2011 (No. 189) which has been adopted by the International Labour Organization ( ILO). The objective of this article is to show the transnational variations and policy concerns of the MDWs in Asia. Based on content analysis, the authors found that there are considerable transnational variations of the MDWs in terms of their age and nature of work, legal identity, working hours, and remuneration across Asian countries. These variations have serious policy concerns in a number of areas such as lack of available data of the MDWs, working conditions, exploitations, and gender issues. The findings of the article would be an important guideline for adopting new legislation and labour policy for the MDWs in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migrant vulnerability to AIDS is an important public health care issue. After having listed some characteristics of the epidemic in Asia and their link with migration, the article describes some of the disease's consequences on economic sectors that employ migrants and lists preventive measures (regulatory, sectoral, microeconomic) that have been taken to counter the spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the establishment of the Migrant Forum in Asia, the organization that aims to promote and protect migrants' rights at local, national, and international levels. Recognition of the rights of migrant Asian workers; Fight against discriminatory and unjust policies and working conditions; Approach in advancing the rights of Asian migrant workers.

Focuses on the trafficking of human beings as a business in Asia. Factors influencing trafficking; Difference between trafficking and other forms of legal labor migration; Emergence of coordinated official responses to criminality and criminal organizations; Demands for labor at various skill levels; Link between trafficking and international crime.

Examines the migration factors in the international labor market. Description of trade liberalization in the Asia-Pacific regions; Role of political factors in international labor migration; Relationship between labor shortages and labor migration; Impact of the Asian economic crisis on international labor migration; Policies on protection of migrant workers.

Attempts a critical review of the data systems of seven major labor- exporting countries in Asia regarding international or alien labor migration. Data from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand; Analysis of administrative records of national labor administrations; Examination of border control records; Use of field data sources.

Discusses human resources development in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region and Australia's migration and training policies. Report for the APEC-HURDIT (Human Resource Development in Industrial Technology) Network; Need for Australia and other developed countries to rethink the way they operate in relation to the economics of other APEC members.

The article focuses on the international movement of manpower in relation to the spatial variation including income and employment opportunities. It cites the migration that took in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) particularly in the Middle East states. It discusses that there are two kinds of movement that are happening in the said region, which include intra-region migration of skilled workers, and the movement of high-level manpower. Moreover, it discusses the status of labour-exporting countries in the region, which include Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines.