How Does Globalisation Cause Complex Patterns of Migration?

Level 3:

Globalisation can perhaps best be defined as the “widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary social life.” It refers to flows of capital, labour, products and services but perhaps most appropriately here refers to the flow of people where migration has come to reflect changing global economic trends brought about my globalisation. Traditionally, migration has often been concentrated in a few bilateral corridors, frequently following colonial and historical links. But with the dynamic nature of economic globalisation, new source areas and host destinations have emerged. One example of this is the south-south migrant flow from Myanmar to Thailand. The movement of migrants from Myanmar to Thailand forms the largest ASEAN migrant corridor and is enabled by a porous 1300 mile shared border but also by the rise of economic globalisation. Here, individuals from Myanmar are seeking migration linked to labour as Thailand provides a legal daily minimum wage of 300 baht, some ten times that of the wage provided in Myanmar. This intra-regional migration example highlights how new source areas and host destinations have arisen due to two aspects of globalisation; free movement of labour and the rise of the Tiger economies. Free movement of labour is a key principle of globalisation as it is enabled by the increasing interconnectedness of the world. Globalisation relies on trading blocs such as ASEAN to increase the integration of national economies, to ease global negotiations and to promote the movement of labour. Thailand exists as one of the original member countries that make up ASEAN while Myanmar joined in 1997. Therefore, free movement of labour in the ASEAN organisation enables complex patterns of migration because those living in poverty in Myanmar can more easily seek employment opportunities elsewhere as both advocate free movement of labour.

In addition to this aspect of globalisation, the rise of the Tiger economies also leads to the emergence of new source and host destinations. Thailand has experienced rapid economic growth and has earned its label as a Newly Industrialised Country because it has benefitted enormously from exports and the settling of Transnational Corporations such as Nike. Globalisation is the driving force behind such advantages because it encourages large amounts of Foreign Direct Investment from overseas and promotes an increasingly open market economy. Thailand’s open market economy means there are no barriers to economic activity which is generally followed by more Foreign Direct Investment. Migrants from Myanmar see these opportunities which leads to the new complex pattern of south-south migration. Economic opportunities are no longer just present in the north but the rise of Tiger economies now mean that people in the south migrate to other areas within the south for employment.