Building Partnerships for Effectively Managing Labor Migration: Lessons from Asian
countries
This report analyzes labor migration trends in Asia and emphasizes the importance
of partnerships to promote effective labor migration management. It addresses temporary
migrant worker programs, focusing on the Republic of Korea’s Employment Permit System
and Malaysia’s Electrical and Electronics industry. It also highlights the key role
multilateral and bilateral agreements play in protecting migrant workers’ social security
entitlements. Key issues covered are how these partnerships can provide safe, orderly,
and fair labor migration, and, hence, a fair environment in Asia’s labor market.
The four chapters capture the ideas, insights, and discussions from the “Eighth Roundtable
on Labor Migration in Asia - Building Partnerships for Effectively Managing Labor
Migration: Lessons from Asian Countries for the UN Global Compact on Migration”, hosted
by Human Resource Development Korea in Incheon, Republic of Korea, in January 2018.
The event, co-organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute, the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the International Labour Organization,
brought together regional experts and policy makers.
The report’s introductory chapter reviews recent regional trends, and two statistical
annexes offer detailed coverage of intra-Asia migration flows, as well as cross-regional
migration flows.
Published on May 21, 2019