Labor
Labor Migration as Complementary Pathways for Refugees in the Asia-Pacific
This working paper examines whether legal labour migration schemes can be opened to humanitarian migrants who may otherwise become targets for migrant smugglers. Keep reading ...
Jay Song
Wages first, productivity later?
The January 2 decision by the National Committee for Designating Minimum Wage to increase the minimum wage has left many dissatisfied, particularly within the garment sector. []In Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam, the garment sectors are about six times more productive than in Myanmar, while Cambodia and ...
ANDREW THOMSON
Two Thai companies face flak over practices in Cambodia and Myanmar
Thai overseas investments in Cambodia and Myanmar have come under criticism for irresponsible business operations and human rights violation, which has also led to the first-ever class-action lawsuit against a Thai company in its home country. Keep reading ...
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
Pregnant migrant workers in Asia face discrimination, deportation: report
Women migrant workers in parts of Asia risk being deported if they become pregnant, forcing many to have unwanted abortions or abandon their newborns, researchers said on Monday. Migrant workers in garment and footwear factories are forced to undergo regular pregnancy tests, according to the ...
Anuradha Nagaraj
Which Asian Country has the Highest and Lowest Unemployment Rates
Mongolia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Philippines have the highest employment rates in Asia. By contrast, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos post the lowest unemployment rates. Mongolia has the highest employment rate in Asia with 7.3 per cent. The country has seen a poor labour market with a ...
DataLEADS
Thailand determined to register, legalize all 3.8 million foreign migrant workers
The Thai government has reiterated its determination to register and legalize all of some 3.8 million migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos by the end of March. The country started to provide legal services to foreign workers in early February by opening 80 One-Stop ...
Zhou Xin
U.S. slaps sanctions on Laos Golden Triangle 'casino' in bid to break up narco-empire
The U.S. Treasury Department has slapped sanctions on a gambling empire hacked from the Laotian jungle which it said was involved in drug, human and wildlife trafficking and child prostitution. []The sanctions aim to destabilize the narcotics trade in the Mekong area at a time of ...
Reuters Staff
Lao Factory Owners Say Proposed Wage Hike Will Shutter Businesses
Owners of garment factories and other businesses in Laos are rejecting a proposal to raise the minimum wage by as much as one-third, saying the increase in expenses would force them to shut down operations, despite reports of workers seeking opportunities elsewhere due to low ...
Radio Free Asia
Forced labor still rampant in Thai fishing industry
Abuse, forced labor and trafficking continue in Thailand’s fishing industry, says a new report. It comes almost three years after the EU threatened to ban Thai fishing products if Bangkok didn’t get its act in order.Keep reading ...
Ate Hoekstra
Nearly one billion Asians in vulnerable jobs, says ILO
Despite decades of world-beating economic growth that has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and into middle class life, around 900 million more Asian workers remain in what the International Labour Organization deems “vulnerable” employment.Keep reading ...
SIMON ROUGHNEEN