Abstract
The Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have promoted female labour migration as a strategy for generating export revenue in the form of income remittances in order to relieve external balance problems and as a source of investment funds. This strategy has relied largely on these countries' exploitation of their comparative advantage in the supply of workers for low-paid service sector work, and especially domestic work, on limited-term work permits and on conditions of employment that leave women vulnerable to a range of abuses. Labour market disadvantage has become institutionalised in this global labour market and, while there has been substantial growth in its scale, the evidence that labour exports provide the basis for delivering and maintaining economic benefits for individuals or the broader economy is questionable.
Highlights
Labour migration programmes have increasingly become regarded as a promising catalyst for addressing some of the challenges that confront the economies of the South
The governments of the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Indonesia vigorously promoted the development of this labour export industry and, in each instance, women engaged as domestic workers became the predominant occupational group in these countries’ migrant work forces
Over 50 per cent of Filipina migrant workers are employed as domestic workers, and over 90 per cent of all Sri Lankan and Indonesian migrant workers are employed as domestic workers
Summary
Migrant workers’ remittances are the main way in which families reap the benefits of overseas earnings Surpassing both official development assistance and foreign direct investment in many developing countries in value, it has been the growing significance of migrant workers’ remittances as an economic resource that has aroused the interest of governments and international institutions to look to the potential of labour migration as a driving force for generating the funds to finance development and investment in the South. Alongside the opportunity to become more economically independent, as feminist critics have noted, there is potential for personal development and working in other cultural and social contexts can prove to be a personally-empowering experience Notwithstanding these positive representations of the benefits of international labour migration for women, I want to question the confidence in the particular proposition that the labour-export strategy is a credible catalyst for fuelling sustained development.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
