Research brief

Migration cost survey among Indonesian and Filipina domestic workers in Malaysia

This research brief presents the findings of the survey on migration cost of Indonesian and Filipina domestic workers in Malaysia. The survey is guided by the ILO’s 2019 General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs and builds on previous studies conducted by the World Bank-led Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD).

In 2018, the International Labour Organization (ILO) commissioned a quantitative migration cost survey in Malaysia. Data was collected from November 2018 to April 2019 with the aim of measuring migration costs borne by domestic workers from Indonesia and the Philippines. This survey is guided by the ILO’s 2019 General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs. It also builds on previous studies conducted by the World Bank-led Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD). The survey gathered data on migrant workers’ profiles, financing of migration costs, migration cost components, remittance practices, working conditions, recruitment processes, as well as wages earned and incomes before coming to Malaysia. The study shed light on what factors influence migration costs. Data gathered in this study can guide development of recommendations for regulating and reducing migration costs for domestic workers in Malaysia and countries of origin.