Sobieszczyk, Teresa
"Pathways Abroad: Gender and International Migration Recruitment Choices in Northern Thailand," Vol. 9 (4), p. 391-428, 2000.

Based on findings from a series of in-depth interviews with returned migrant workers, recruiters, and government officials in Thailand, this paper extends the analysis of the Thai international labor migration institution. The article discusses conceptual models developed to help explain three main modes of overseas labor recruitment used by Northern Thai workers in three sub-districts. These are authorized recruitment and two types of unauthorized recruitment that differ according to whether the migrant pays for the recruitment at the time of migration or works off the recruitment costs with the overseas employer after arrival in the destination country. A gender perspective is used to examine why women and men choose a particular type of recruitment. Several factors are shown to shape male and female migrants — recruitment choices, including gendered labor demand among overseas employers, financial resources available to potential male and female migrants, a desire for "safe" working and living environments among some young women, and differences in social networks and previous overseas migration experience for men and women.

Raghuram, Parvati
"Gendering Skilled Migratory Streams: Implications for Conceptualizations of Migration," Vol. 9 (4), p. 429-457, 2000.

The dominant paradigm in studies of international migration has largely neglected the significance of skilled women in migratory streams. Much recent analysis of international migration has been overly influenced by conceptualizations developed in the context of the migration of women who engage in unskilled labor, or of ungendered but implicitly androcentric theorizations of skilled migration, whether arising from a modernization thesis or globalization thesis. In this paper I explore the legacies of such theorizations and the ways in which the presence of skilled women can challenge these conceptualizations. This paper suggests the need to rethink the household-labor market-immigration nexus in the light of issues of social stratification which a focus on skilled women migrants raises.

Chiang, Nora and Liangwen Kuo
"An Examination of the Employment Structure of Taiwanese Immigrants in Australia,", Vol. 9 (4), p. 459-481, 2000.

Taiwanese emigration has reached a considerable level in the last ten years, with 20,0000 to 25,000 annually heading for mjaor destinations such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Rapid economic growth, political instability, increased personal income, and relaxation of travel restrictions since 1989 are behind this increase. Particularly for Australia, the introduction of economic and business migration policies attracted skilled and entrepreneurial groups. This study examined the employment structure of the Taiwan-born in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the top destinations of Taiwanese immigrants in Australia. Unpublished census data for the years 1981, 1986, 1991 and 1996, supplemented by data from a survey of Taiwanese immigrants in the three cities, provided data for the study. Findings suggest that the employment rate of Taiwanese immigrants is among the lowest of all immigrant groups. Taiwanese men tend to be more economically successful than Taiwanese women in income levels, occupational status, and labor force participation. Most Taiwanese immigrants in Australia experience downward social mobility due to factors such as unaccredited overseas qualifications, the lack of English proficiency and local knowledge, and other institutional discriminatory factors.

Park, Young-bum
"Unskilled Foreign Labor and Korea's Economic Crisis," Vol. 9 (4), p. 483-506, 2000.

Using survey data, this paper examined the role of unskilled foreign labor in the Korean economy during the recent economic crisis. The study was undertaken to find empirical support on whether foreign labor is a temporary or a structural feature of the economy. The survey confirmed that despite high levels of unemployment during the crisis, Korean workers did not take up so-called 3D jobs. Foreign workers were the ones who worked at these jobs, and the major reason for hiring them was their cheaper cost. Korean policymakers are currently reviewing government policy concerning foreign labor. The survey's findings suggest the ned to modify the government's stand of not accepting foreign labor.