| Item type |
Conference or Workshop Item |
| Subjects |
300 Social sciences > 305 Social groups |
| Division/Agency |
LPPKN - National Population and Family Development Board, Malaysia: Population and Family Research Division |
| Keywords |
Migration and development, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia |
| Additional Information |
1. Graeme Hugo, The University of Adelaide;
2. Syed Abdul Razak Sayed Mahadi, University Malaya, PhD Student, University of Adelaide; and
3. Ahmad Hashimi Mohammad, National Population and Family Development Board |
| 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. |
