VOLUME 6, 1997

Issue No. 2

Diana Wong
"Transience and Settlement: Singapore's Foreign Labor Policy," Vol. 6 (2), p. 135-167, 1997.

Foreigners constitute 15 percent of the population and over 20 percent of the labor force in Singapore. They are bifurcated into the highly-skilled, high end as well as the unskilled, low end of the labor market. This large foreign labor force is managed by a comprehensive and highly selective foreign labor policy, which is described in this paper. The strict enforcement of a guestworker policy of transience on the one hand, and the liberal encouragement of settlement on the other, are the twin pillars of this policy. Seen originally as a dispensable appendage to a labor-scarce economy, foreign labor has now become integral to the economic and increasingly, population policy of the country, as evidenced by the recent announcement of a national policy to "attract foreign talent."

Anita S. Mak
"Skilled Hong Kong Immigrants' Intention to Repatriate," Vol. 6 (2), p. 168-184, 1997.

An emphasis on skills in Australian immigration policy in the past decade has led to the increase of highly skilled Hong Kong immigrants. However, Australia has not been able to retain all of them. An estimated 30 percent attrition rate among recently arrived Hong Kong-born settlers in Australia is noted by Kee and Skeldon (1994). This paper reports the results of an in-depth study on intention to repatriate and work in Hong Kong, conducted in Australia with 111 professional and managerial Hong Kong immigrants. Correlational and loglinear analyses on prediction of such an intention are presented. Research findings on the career-family dilemma experienced by a number of immigrants are likewise discussed.

Christine Stevens
"Balancing Obligations and Self-Interest: Humanitarian Program Settlers in the Australian Labor Market," Vol. 6 (2), p. 185-212, 1997.

Technological and structural changes in the Australian economy have led to a decline in unskilled and semi-skilled employment and this has had a marked effect on labor market opportunities for immigrants. Educational qualifications and English language skills have become increasingly important factors influencing labor market success. With absorptive capacity for the overall immigration program defined more in economic terms, changes have been made to the selection criteria for immigrants. Greater priority is currently given to those with skills and English language proficiency. No such emphasis has been given to the selection criteria for settlers admitted under Australia's humanitarian program. This paper reviews the labor market experience of humanitarian program arrivals and considers the policy implications of high levels of unemployment among this group. It is suggested that humanitarian obligations do not end with entry to Australia, and it is in the interests of the receiving society and humanitarian program arrivals for greater public investment in skills development to help improve labor market outcomes among this group.

Jeremy Hein
"Leadership Continuity and Change in Hmong Refugee Communities in the United States," Vol. 6 (2), p. 213-228, 1997.

Political violence and international migration have the potential to disrupt leadership continuity in Hmong refugee communities in the United States. At the same time, clan and village authority structures from Laos favor leadership continuity despite dramatic social change. Data on 40 Hmong leaders in ten communities are used to determine if the indigenous sources of leadership continue to determine who becomes a leader after resettlement. The majority of leaders were leaders in Southeast Asia and have close kin who were leaders, indicating leadership continuity. Whether these leaders have held few or many leadership positions in the United States, however, is not determined by prior leadership or kinship, but by factors associated with acculturation. Initial leadership status in a host society is linked to authority structures from the homeland, but social change influences subsequent leadership careers.

Aaron Stern
"Quantitative International Migration Data for Thailand: An Overview," Vol. 6 (2), p. 229-254, 1997.

This paper reviews the main characteristics of migration data for movements into and out of Thailand. It considers only international migration and it covers the following areas: 1) who collects and disseminates international migration data for Thailand; 2) what sorts of data are available; and 3) what are the major characteristics of these data. It is designed as a guide for persons using Thai migration data to help them interpret these data more clearly. The Thai government is the main collector and distributor of Thailand's international migration data, particularly the Ministry of Interior and the Central Statistical Office (administrators of the national population census). Other organizations such as academic research centers, non-governmental organizations, and foreign governments collect and disseminate Thai migration data on a smaller scale. The paper concludes with some brief suggestions about how to improve migration data collection and dissemination in Thailand.