Unauthorized Migrants as Global Workers in the ASEAN Region(<Special Issue>Population and Globalization)

Abstract

Globalization is a social phenomenon that by definition does not admit limitations. However, of the various factors of production, labor is not free to move where productivity is highest. The traditional reasons limiting the movement of labor (political, economic, social and cultural) have been reinforced by current discussions that link migration and terrorism. Thus, it is foreseeable that migration policies will become more restrictive in the near future. However, regardless of policies or sometimes in response to them, unauthorized migration has developed in all countries. Is unauthorized migration the expression of the globalization of foreign work? Is it a response to the futile attempts to limit the overreaching power of globalization? This paper will explore the significance of unauthorized migration as an outcome of globalization by analyzing migration flows in Southeast Asia. There are currently three migration subsystems in the region characterized by various types of population flows. The paper will first examine the current trends of such flows. It will then examine the characteristics of unauthorized migration and their significance for regional relations. It will finally consider the following questions: Is the large unauthorized migration in the region a consequence of the characteristics of the regional process adopted in ASEAN? Is unauthorized migration the result of increasing globalization or does it depend on other factors? Are migration policies consistent with regional and globalization policies?