Labour migration

Managing Cross-border Movement of Labour in Southeast Asia

The project aims to protect migrant workers by developing a knowledge base on migration issues for policy makers and building up the capacity of governments to manage orderly labour migration. It advocates for sound national labour migration policies, assists with raising migrant workers’ awareness of their rights, helps them access legal systems, promotes low-cost, efficient remittance systems, and supports skills training and enterprise development.

People have been crossing borders in Southeast Asia to find work for decades, but migration through informal channels has increased in recent years. Without proper documentation, many of these migrant workers lack protection under the law and are vulnerable to exploitation by employers.

The ILO’s Managing Cross-border Movement of Labour in Southeast Asia project protects migrant workers by developing a knowledge base on migration issues for policy makers and building up the capacity of governments to manage orderly labour migration. It also advocates for sound national labour migration policies, assists with raising migrant workers’ awareness of their rights, facilitates their access to legal systems, promotes low-cost and efficient remittance systems, and supports skills training and enterprise development.