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Indonesian labour migration to Sabah: causes and implications
Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
Editor:
Year: 00/00/2011
Abstract: There is increasing interest among policymakers and researchers in the relationship between migration and development in low and middle income countries (United Nations, 2006). However, there remains a lack of empirical evidence on the impact of migration on economies of origin and destination, especially in Asia and Africa. This paper reports on one of the most substantial global migration corridors (World Bank, 2011) – that linking Indonesia and Malaysia. In 2009 it is estimated that migrants in Malaysia numbered 2 million, around a half of whom were Indonesians. It is based predominantly on a substantial survey of Indonesian labour migrants working in the East Malaysian state of Sabah undertaken in 2010. The paper begins with a brief discussion of contemporary thinking on the relationship between migration and development as a basis for examining the situation in Sabah. Some key features of the movement between Indonesia and Malaysia, especially that directed to Sabah, are then discussed. The economic contribution of Indonesian migrant workers is first examined in Sabah and then in the home areas of the Indonesian migrant workers. The paper then discusses the policy implications of these findings, especially in the Malaysian context.
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