International Labor Migration: A Study Of Nepali Labor Migration To Malaysia

Abstract

International labor migration from Nepal is eminently for economic security and its relevance to the nation’s economy but labor migration is directly or indirectly influenced by internal and external political affairs. This research, instead of pull and push, analyzes actors (state, non-state and the migrants) and factors (political and economic) associated with both the countries to delineate the context of labor migration from Nepal to Malaysia. This dissertation explicates the causalities, evolution of Nepali labor migration to Malaysia and the exit labor migration policies of Nepal that is governed unilaterally, bi-laterally and multi laterally. Defining migration as a wider set of process that includes both the countries at macro level and an individual migrant at micro level, this dissertation aims to distinguish international and political nature of labor migration. It concludes that labor migration has political and international attributes, therefore Nepal’s foreign policy needs to focus on labor diplomacy to pursue national and international leverage and preferred benefits from international labor migration to Malaysia. This research uses migration system theory and qualitative research method with secondary data to analyze the factors related in evolution of labor migration from Nepal to Malaysia, impacts created by labor migration and exit policy of international labor migration from Nepal to Malaysia to explain political and international nature of labor migration.