Economic Costs and Benefits of Cross-country Labour Migration in the GMS: Synthesis of the Case Studies in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam

There is growing interest in promoting cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Yunnan province of China, where socioeconomic development varies widely between countries. Job creation in the worse-off countries does not keep pace with increases in the labour force. Due to the higher wages in Thailand and lack of year round farming in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, millions of people venture over the border to work in Thailand. This report by the GMS-Development Analysis Network (now GMS-Net) tries to address the information gap regarding economic costs and benefits of migration for individuals, households and sending communities.