Traversing the Laws: The Unregulated Movement of Filipino Migrants in Thailand

Abstract

Despite policies that provide a legal framework for controlling foreign labor, Thailand continues to experience an increasing trend of both unskilled and skilled labor migrants from neighboring countries. This can be attributed primarily to labor and skills shortages in the country. For the last five years, Thailand has a growing stock of Filipino migrants, and a sizeable number of them are working without a proper work permit. This study investigates and sheds light on the trends in the movement of Filipinos working in Thailand. It focuses on factors facilitating their movement and the various resources employed by migrants to remain in the country. Findings from a survey of 354 Filipino migrants in various provinces and at the Thailand-Cambodia border, as well as from in-depth interviews with 25 migrants are presented. The findings reveal that most Filipino migrants are highly skilled and well educated, and that they tend to come from certain regions and ethnicities in the Philippines. New patterns of mobility and different paths enabling Filipinos to work and remain in Thailand are revealed; many migrants switch between regular and irregular status, taking advantage of various mechanisms and resources in the process.