Research on occupational safety and health for migrant workers in five Asia and the Pacific countries: Australia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand

Cross border migration has a long history in Asia and the Pacific and in the 21st century labour migration is on the increase. The purpose of this paper is to study Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) conditions for migrant workers in five Asia and the Pacific countries (Australia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand), in response to growing concern about the improvement of safety, health and working conditions for migrant workers. Migrant labour has become one of the determining factors in the economic sustainability of these countries and is increasingly relied upon, especially in the so-called 3D (dirty, dangerous and difficult) sectors which are generally labour intensive, hazardous and offer low wages. This working paper presents trends and facts relevant to the five target countries’ OSH environments for migrant workers, with the long term aim of raising awareness of workplace safety for migrant labour forces and instilling the significance of sound OSH practices at work in all stakeholders, including governments, employers, workers and NGOs.