Skills development is key to economic empowerment of women migrant workers and improvements of their lives in Thailand and after returning to their countries of origin. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, skills development become more necessary and should be given to women migrant workers to overcome inequalities in economic and social development which are increasingly exacerbated. Skills development can improve productivity and help women migrant workers diversify their employment opportunities enhancing their possibilities to secure employment during the crisis and as part of recovery.

Now, nearly a decade later, the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme (ILO) and Safe and Fair programme (ILO and UN Women) have conducted a similar survey of 4,099 nationals to track trends of attitudes in three of the above countries. One of the original four countries was changed, with the Republic of Korea replaced by Japan, given its emergence as an important destination country for low-skilled migrant workers in Asia. Certain questions from the first survey were repeated to allow for identification...

A study on impact of protective policies for Myanmar Migrant Domestic Workers in Thailand and Singapore presented the situation of women migrating to Thailand and Singapore for domestic work in light of the ban, highlighting their realities and risks at each stage of migration. The study was undertaken to identify the national and international legal and policy frameworks relevant to the whole of migration cycle for both the Myanmar-Thailand and Myanmar-Singapore corridors. The report also...

There are approximately 300,000 Laotian migrants working in Thailand which accounts for over half of all migrants from Laos PDR globally. Their remittances are responsible for between 25 and 50 percent of the income of rural household in the country. To reduce vulnerability to labour exploitation and human trafficking, information particularly pre-departure should be made available and accessible. Appropriate knowledge and accessibility will empower migrants to make informed choices and...

This study is one of the first to focus on the attitudes and behaviour of employers and service providers towards domestic workers. It has been important to combine the broader issues of public attitudes towards domestic workers with the scope of legislative protection and working conditions at individual and household levels. The particular vulnerabilities and challenges associated with this...

Domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are women and girls, make a critical contribution to societies and economies across the world. Still, domestic work is typically not regarded as work and is often excluded from full protection under labour legislation and social security provisions. It is usually carried out for private households, often without clear terms of employment, leaving...

The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the political, economic and social dimensions and costs of migration and consequences on the family, community and society. The study analyzes the social outcomes of migration and identifies strategies in response to the issues of families left behind with further examination of the government policy framework on migration in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines to justify the deployment of hundreds of thousands of women and men to work abroad. The study also inquires about the effectiveness of government programmes in addressing issues related to migrants and migrant families. Lastly, the study looks into the following issues of displacement, adjustment and adaptation faced by individuals within the family in response to the problems brought about by the migration of a family member.

UN Women has developed this publication to bring the key challenges faced by women migrant workers in the low wage sectors of the informal economy within the ASEAN. It is expected that the study will help key labour sending and receiving countries with the ASEAN in developing and implementing national and regional policies that will empower and legally protect women migrant workers.

With a population of 13.4 million, Cambodia is one of the most populous countries in Southeast Asia, and also one of the poorest. 80 per cent of the population is rural, and an estimated one-third of Cambodians still live below the poverty line. i After decades of civil war, the country emerged from conflict in the early 1990s, and the reconstruction phase has seen some economic growth, as well as improvements in overall...