This chapter investigates whether network ties at the village level support transnational labor migration from Laos to Thailand. The research focused on individual-level and household-level movements of migrants in interview surveys in KH village, central Laos located near the border, and in Bangkok, Thailand. The surveys in Bangkok were conducted in September 2014, March 2015, and November 2016. We found that the lack of employment opportunities in Laos and the low barriers to emigration to Bangkok was a common cause of transnational labor migration. The development of ICT helped villagers to obtain an image of life and work in Bangkok before they depart. The majority of households in the village had at least one member working in Bangkok. As a result, the in situ population of KH village has begun to decline. In Bangkok, Thai employers obtained the stay and work permit for the migrants as part of their compliance. Even so, working conditions have not sufficiently improved, and migrant workers are using local networks in KH village to avoid the risk of poor treatment. The people of the village also maintained a support network for migrant workers. We also found close financial ties between the village and Bangkok. Most remittances were spent for daily living expenses rather than to invest in the future.

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Transnational Labor Migration from Rural Village in Laos to Bangkok, Thailand

  • Takahito Niwa,
  • Shinichi Takahashi,
  • Futoshi Nishimoto

摘要

This chapter investigates whether network ties at the village level support transnational labor migration from Laos to Thailand. The research focused on individual-level and household-level movements of migrants in interview surveys in KH village, central Laos located near the border, and in Bangkok, Thailand. The surveys in Bangkok were conducted in September 2014, March 2015, and November 2016. We found that the lack of employment opportunities in Laos and the low barriers to emigration to Bangkok was a common cause of transnational labor migration. The development of ICT helped villagers to obtain an image of life and work in Bangkok before they depart. The majority of households in the village had at least one member working in Bangkok. As a result, the in situ population of KH village has begun to decline. In Bangkok, Thai employers obtained the stay and work permit for the migrants as part of their compliance. Even so, working conditions have not sufficiently improved, and migrant workers are using local networks in KH village to avoid the risk of poor treatment. The people of the village also maintained a support network for migrant workers. We also found close financial ties between the village and Bangkok. Most remittances were spent for daily living expenses rather than to invest in the future.