Labor migration & regional integration in the Asia Pacific on the context of Knowledge Based Society
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Labor Migration & Regional Integration in Asia Pacific beyond the Borders Ernesto Rangel Francisco Mares APEC Study Center Universidad de Colima, México Eppur si muove Galileo Galilei
Transcript
1. Labor Migration & Regional Integration in Asia Pacific
beyond the Borders Ernesto Rangel Francisco Mares APEC Study Center
Universidad de Colima, Mxico Eppur si muove Galileo Galilei
2. Contents Introduction Framework Regional Integration
Initiatives Final reflection
3. Introduction Migration over the existence of the human race
has been a daily practice in search of better living conditions.
However, since its inception nation states have sought to protect
their interests, often impeding the free movement of labor between
regions, as a kind of protectionism in their domestic labor
markets.
4. One of the central aspects that contributed to the promotion
of labor migration in the Asia Pacific, has been the formation of
nodes of concentration of knowledge, science and technological
development, which attracts labor force with different skill levels
from different latitudes.
5. Under the approach of the knowledge society, we aim to
identify the poles of attraction of skilled or not work force, and
the areas of expulsion, which allow highlighting the fact of labor
migration in the region from an economic and social development
perspective, thus showing that exceeds the neoclassical theoretical
restriction of mobility of labor. Such mobility on several
occasions however, is recognized as illegal; however that kind of
mobility is coming from the patterns of attraction beyond the
territorial boundaries of each of the economies. Strictly speaking,
we talk about a problem that needs addressing in order to seek
better integration under the aegis of economic cooperation.
6. Under these considerations, this paper seeks to detect the
flows of labor in the Asia Pacific, particularly in agreements as
TPP, NAFTA, or any other initiatives of regional organization such
as ASEAN +(+) associated with enterprise networks, based on the
fact that they are possessing unique technology and knowledge
generation, thus constituting very attractive poles for migration.
It is assumed that the generators of knowledge, lead to an
appropriate space for the mobility of labor (brain drain, the
marketing of educational services, the agricultural labor market
and migration "illegal" for example, have been considerate as forms
of labor mobility), even beyond public policy designed to address
this issue.
7. This interest is focused on the fact that there are
insufficient studies in APEC, particularly in the Human Resources
Development WG and Labor & Social Protection Network, appearing
the reality that labor migration is much more representative of
what neoclassical theory assumes with severe restrictions to the
economic labor factor compared to the mobility of capital
generating social problems wht a paradox solving others. In this
sense, authors argue that state intervention to prevent the free
movement of labor is opposed to the creation of integrated regional
markets and ignores the reality facing the labor in the
international arena.
8. Framework Approaching from the theoretical perspective to a
debatable subject is at least desirable to consider the theory of
economic integration proposed by Bela Balassa (1964). This theory
sees firstly economic integration as a process involving several
stages, which explains without major problems many FTAs in the
region, which at the moment leading to the spaghetti bowl.
Particularly in the context of this theory the neoclassical version
of factor mobility detect various economies restricting labor
mobility as economic factor against the free capital flows in the
Asia Pacific Regions. The proposed open regionalism and economic
cooperation in Asia Pacific is also a framework to consider the
labor migration issue.
9. Paul Krugman (1995; 1999), presents the challenges facing
labor when required to travel to other countries, these
restrictions are given much by the limitations imposed by economies
of labor attractive. PECC & ABAC Studies, show the benefits of
labor movements and the costs to ignore them
10. Regional Integration Initiatives As part of the efforts of
States in the Asia Pacific region to promote economic integration
and cooperation, we can identify initiatives that bring together
countries with dissimilar economic growth rates, size of their
economies, status or stages of economic development, forms of
political organization and production, natural resource endowments
and different cultures that lead to very specific worldviews.
Despite all this, and shock of reality which represent phenomena
such as globalization, impose a sense of common good and progress
through joint cooperation, at least in the liberalization of trade
and investment, recently identified and unquestioned until today (,
as real levers for economic growth and development (see
chart,1).
11. Chart, 1. Benefits from FTAs to U.S. Exports, 2010 Source:
International Trade Administration, http://trade.gov/fta/ May 13th,
2012.
12. Chart, 2. Four indicators on Labor force and migration in
TPP economies, 2010. Source: World Bank,
www.databank.worldbank.org, May 10th, 2012
13. Chart 3. Net Migration in TPP economies, 2010. Source:
World Bank, www.databank.worldbank.org May 10th, 2012.
14. Table 4. Bilateral Remittances on TPP members These data
are estimated using assumptions and arguments as explained in Ratha
and Shaw (2007). Remittance- receiving country (across) -
Remittance- sending country (down) Australia Brunei Daruss alam
Chile Malaysia New Zea lan d Peru Singapore United St at es Vietnam
Australia 0 0 127 534 19 105 640 Brunei Darussalam 5 0 87 0 0 0 0
Chile 16 0 0 0 148 17 0 Malaysia 68 0 0 3 0 0 0 New Zealand 672 0
17 0 1 26 17 Peru 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 Singapore 0 0 1,129 0 0 14 0 United
States 760 1 59 21 897 0 3,760 Vietnam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ESTIMATED
REMITTANCE S IN 2010 4,335 5 1,576 685 2,494 3,122 7,215
15. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Sendingcountry
Receiving country BilateralRemittance 2010 (%millions of US$)
Vietnam United States Singapore Peru New Zealand Malaysia Chile
Brunei Darussalam Australia
16. Final Reflection We conclude that APEC has to rethink the
labor migration as regional integration factor without ignorance of
reality, as there are movements of population with great benefits
and social possible solutions for the economic cooperation and
development of the economies members. In the authors opinion APEC
could develop some studies as PECC and ABAC did, in order to put
behind the closed border and liberalize labor as economic factor.
APEC has special interest in Human Resource Development in order to
facilitate the work force qualification; it has very specific
networks, so it is possible to contribute for a better connection
among the economies. Initiatives as TPP could be considered a next
generation agreements, including the labor factor that anyway is
moving across the borders.