Migration Patterns in East and Southeast Asia: Causes and Consequences

Our review starts by considering the regional development of East and Southeast Asia. We then address major trends related to international migration within the region. First, we focus on labor migration, which has been a dominant type of migration in the region in the last four decades. We highlight consequences such as development in the destination area, remittances, and children who are left behind. Second, we highlight recent developments in research related to migrant domestic helpers. In this review, we argue that most studies about migrants in East and Southeast Asia are descriptive in nature, because limited data are available for detailed analysis. Consequently, there has been little opportunity or effort to theorize the migration patterns in the region. Our review suggests the need to move beyond case studies and descriptive reports and to step up efforts to make theoretical contributions to international migration in East and Southeast Asia.