Globalization, Migration, and the State: East Asia's Evolving Landscape of Labor

In 2005, there were 191 million migrants worldwide. If they all resided in one country, that country would be the fifth largest in the world. Roughly one-third of these migrants has moved from a developing to a developed country. Labor migration to northeast Asia is a relatively new phenomenon that is growing as South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan face increasing labor shortages. All three have been resistant, until recently, to immigration. However, as demand for migrant labor continues to rise, they are confronted with increasing pressures to allow workers into their borders. In a January 18 Wilson Center event, the Asia Program, in collaboration with George Washington University's Sigur Center for Asian Studies, looked at some of the issues raised by East Asia's evolving migratory labor landscape.

The first panel provided a context to the interconnections between globalization, migration, and labor. Marie Price examined urban immigrant gateways in a globalizing world. Four themes, she explained, are important to understanding immigration in Asia: diversity of urban populations in ethnicity and nationality; segregation of migrant communities; gateways as "turnstiles" through which migrant communities move in dynamic flows; and the "permanence of temporariness," where temporary migrant labor can easily become a prevalent and permanent condition. Shawn McHale addressed the Southeast Asian diaspora and its histories and relevance to East Asia. Most migrants in today's world are not going to a destination permanently; rather, they are shifting residencies within a given region under short-term labor contracts. Historically, Southeast Asians have always migrated; however, it is only since the 1970s that there has been an explosion of Southeast Asian migrants outside of the Asian region.

The second panel explored migrants, the state, and the boundaries of law in South Korea. Yeong Hyun-Kim explained that due to an acute labor shortage, South Korea attracts many migrants, both legal and illegal. She stated that state control of illegal migrant workers fails because the state pursues the employers of illegal migrant workers, rather than the root cause of labor demand. Joon Kim drew connections between foreign workers organizing for their rights, national trade unions, and church activity. Joon Kim explained that foreign worker protection legislation was achieved through the organizing efforts of foreign workers, despite their diverse cultural, linguistic, and national differences, because of the successful collaboration the foreign workers had with civil society in South Korea.

The third panel focused on migrants, the state, and the boundaries of law through case studies from Japan and Taiwan. Rhacel Parrenas addressed the "cultural benevolent paternalism" of policies that are meant to protect foreign escort service workers in Japan. She described the situation of Filipina hostess workers in Tokyo, where even when Japanese laws try to provide the escort workers with better wage rates, the employers of the Filipina hostess workers take advantage of these wage gains. Parrenas argued that a closer look needs to be taken at the process of policy-making for migrant workers, which intends to protect the migrants but ultimately results in being paternalistic because policy-makers do not recognize the politics and problems surrounding migrant work. Pei-Chia Lan examined the migrant guest worker system in Taiwan, where migrant workers are employed on temporary contracts and are then prohibited by state authorities from permanently settling or naturalizing. Lan asked why migrant contract workers are trapped in a circumstance of "legal servitude," as opposed to the situation where undocumented and runaway migrants gain higher wages and enjoy enlarged freedom. Illegal migrants become free to choose employers that suit them because the demand for their labor exists, especially in the sector of domestic work. Additionally, she stated that as labor equals and human fellows, migrant workers should have the opportunity and claim to public services, participation, rights and benefits--"membership without citizenship."

Drafted by Bhumika Muchhala, Asia Program Associate
Robert M. Hathaway, Director, Asia Program, Ph: (202) 691-4020