Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The production sector in Thailand is confronting risky business circumstances as potential labor shortage is looming. Since the 1980s, Thailand has successfully implemented export-oriented economic policy which has resulted in the surging and perpetuating waves of workers from neighboring countries. While the Burmese have continued to be the largest group of immigrants; the number of Cambodian workers has soared at an extraordinary growth rate, resulting in changing demographical landscape of migrant worker in Thailand. However, recent economic development in Cambodia purportedly affects the number of Cambodian worker in Thailand as growing employment opportunity is expected. Thai construction industry is at the forefront of this potential labor shortage as it employs the largest number of immigrants. This study considers this group of immigrants with phenomenal growth, the Cambodian workers, in construction industry as a study case. Instead of traditional narrative, which usually focuses extensively on economic factors, this study looks at migration decision through economic sociology lens, which integrates both social factors and economic factors into the migration decision canvas. Data collection and analysis are based on mixed research method, with primary reliance on qualitative approach. Interviews and observations were the main vehicles of data collection during repeating fieldworks, both at the destination and the origin area. Findings suggest that migration decision is, in fact, largely influenced by migrants’ household members, community leaders, social perception, and cumulative migrant networks, all of which highlight extensive, both within and cross-border, influence from social ties to migration decisions.