Challenges of Labor Migrants to Thailand: Issues of Bilateral Agreements for the Employment of Workers in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)

The governments of the Kingdom of Thailand and neighboring countries have, over the past few years, attempted to legalize the flow of migrant workers. This paper aims to examine, based on empirical data consisting of 97 semi-structured interviews with migrant workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the challenges migrants face in facilitating legal work in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). This paper analyzes, by employing a rights-based approach to migration issues, the obstacles migrants face in seeking legal work in these regions. The findings of the study indicated four main issuesrelated to migration under the current governance system including lack of knowledge of authority and procedure, perceived expense of the recruitment process, migrants’ perspectivesconcerning formal and informal recruitment and limited capacity for assessing labor market needs. Based on the results, the development of laws or measures have been suggested in both the migrant-sending country and Thailand which specify the costs and duration of the process to import labor. It is essential that all personnel give consistent information to interested persons and improve pre-departure training courses to help migrant workers understand the specifications in the bilateral MOUs with Thailand. This knowledge and information should be provided to migrants, prospective migrants, their families, and relevant agencies in both countries.