Migration and sustainable development in Thailand

Abstract

Purpose Previous studies have focused on migration and development from an economic perspective. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate sustainable migration and development in an integrative manner, including economic, social and environmental perspectives linking theoretical frameworks with empirical evidence in Thailand. Design/methodology/approach A framework of migration and sustainable development was developed in a structured and integrative manner, and the shift in migration and development patterns in Thailand was examined from an empirical and theoretical standpoint. Findings Migration contributes to Thailand’s economy in many ways. Migrant workers help to grow the economy, especially in labor-intensive sectors. This helps reduced income inequalities at the household level through remittances. Climate change will enhance migration, especially from neighboring countries and within Thailand itself, thus helping to reduce poverty and income inequality. Possible economic gains from migration, as well as circulating workers and international retirement migrants are highlighted. Research limitations/implications Only studies published in English or Thai were included, which may have resulted in the omission of some research. A need for rethinking policy design and implementation as a source of sustainable development is required. Originality/value Despite the recent influences of political and environmental changes, there has previously been no analysis of migration and sustainable development in Thailand in a structured and integrative manner as in this study. The impact of migration on the diffusion of new technology and brain drain issues was also addressed.

Rethinking free skilled labour migration policies in CLMV countries: a qualitative systematic review

“…A few studies argue the reasonable drivers of the free flow of skilled labour migration policies in CLMV countries (Jones, 2016; Chao, 2017; Jurje and Lavenex, 2018; Chamaratana and Daovisan, 2019; Pholphirul, 2019; Daovisan and Chamaratana, 2020; Gerard and Bal, 2020). Current studies (Ullah et al , 2019) focus on skill deficiencies in receiving countries (Kampan and Tanielian, 2017; Bhula-or, 2021) and the inflow to Thailand (Kaur, 2010; Nguyen, 2013; Arisman and Jaya, 2021), especially from low-income (e.g. Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam) to high-income countries (e.g.…”

Working for a better future: exploring how network capital fosters Laotian migrant workers in Thai family SMEs

“…The results showed that network capital is associated with chain, social, human and financial networks. The findings have filled the theoretical gaps in network capital research (Bhula-or, 2021;Daovisan et al, 2022;Statham et al, 2020;Suhardiman et al, 2021;Vigneswaran, 2020). This research is one of the few studies in existing…”

“…Building on the network capital concept, Koltai et al (2020) typically framed it as encompassing human, financial, social and chain migration. The presence of network capital in family SMEs has been associated with strong ties, interpersonal connections, agent networks and employer links (Baù et al , 2021; Bhula-or, 2021; Boateng et al , 2019; Hajro et al , 2021; Godin and Don, 2021; Kalmijn, 2022). This network capital analyses three levels forming migrant network capital in family SMEs: individual level (self-migrant), agent level (group migrant) and national level (Memorandum of understanding migrant) (Christ, 2020; Leal and Harder, 2023; Moret, 2020).…”

“…According to the ILO (2021), it was observed that Laotian migrants in Thailand are composed of some 93,299 of a legally registered nationality, 87,597 with under-cabinet verification and 44,518 undocumented (re)migrants. In the context of transnational migration research (Bhula-or, 2021; Daovisan et al , 2022; Tipayalai, 2020), presenting one of the largest numbers of migrants may create research gaps in net-sending and labour-receiving countries. Some scholars, nonetheless, argue that there are wide-ranging wage gaps due to influxes from low- to high-income countries (Akbari, 2021; Baù et al , 2021; Christ, 2020; Chung et al , 2020).…”

“…Furthermore, affiliation with network capital helps to establish transnational ties, chain migration, social accumulation, human assets and financial remittances (Boateng et al , 2019; Canhilal et al , 2022; Clark and Longo, 2022; Koltai et al , 2020; Wu et al , 2022; Zeitz and Leblang, 2021). Extant research, however, focuses on how migrant network capital between the borderlands is linked to a shift in the large informal economy, their migrating activities, their transnational networks and their agent facilitation (Bhula-or, 2021; Bylander, 2019; Chung et al , 2020; Karayianni et al , 2023).…”