1. Lessons from the Gendered Impact of Global Crisis on
Asian Migrant Workers and Their Families
Guntur Sugiyarto (gsugiyarto@adb.org)
Economics Research and Regional Cooperation Department
Asian Development Bank
The views expressed here are personal.

2. Background
Concerns on the Impacts of Global Crisis on Migration and Remittance in
Asia.
Global crises impacted Asian migration and remittances at different
levels: global, country and household levels.
Impacts at the global and country levels were examined using
Econometrics and Computable General Equilibrium Models.
Impact at household level: based on migrant household surveys in BAN,
INO and PHI (ADB and IOM 2011).
Results were presented (journals, books, working papers) and further
analysis with more gender dimension was done based on follow-up
surveys with gender lens in 2012 in INO and PHI, where feminization of
migration is very strong.

3. Main Objectives
Using gender lens:
• Examine the trend and impact dynamics.
• Analyze the gender-differentiated impacts.
• Identify the coping mechanisms.
Unit of analysis:
Migrant workers and migrant households.

4. Methodology
Analyzed gender-disaggregated data from
• ADB-IOM survey in 2010 (first survey).
• Period covered: Oct 2008 to Sept 2009.
• Sample: 217 and 200 migrant households in INO and PHI.
• Revisit (second) survey in 2012 to collect more gender-
relevant data.
• Period covered: 2009 to 2012.
• Re-sample: 100 households each in INO and PHI.
Conducted FGDs and RTDs with migrant households, returning
migrants and key informants.
Combined results of surveys and FGDs/RTDs in the analysis.

5. Impacts Examined
Impacts
Migrant
Workers
Earning and
Remittance
Job and
working
condition
Coping
Mechanism
Migrant
Households
Income and
Expenditure
Employment and
Job status
Coping
Mechanism

6. General Findings ...
Crisis had limited impact on international migration and
remittances at global and country levels.
Migrants and Remittances proved to be resilient.
But the crisis affected men and women migrant workers
and migrant households differently.
There seems a Macro-Micro mismatch and strong
impact dynamics at the micro level.

7. Policy implications (1)
Better job creation in the domestic economy
Investing more in education and skills especially for
women migrant workers and household members.
Lower transaction costs, remove barriers to remit and
facilitate the use of formal channels.
Provide better assistance to returning migrants in times of
crisis.
Reintegration programs need to have better targeting
especially for women to ensure their success.

8. Policy implications (2)
Provision of cash and job search assistances, and training.
Institutions must be improved in the framework that men
and women have equal rights and are treated equally.
Home and host governments and civil society organizations
need to act better following reports of abuses.
Improve targeting and coordination.

9. Policy implications (3)
Home and host governments and other stakeholders have
to combat discrimination against migrants, which tend to
increase during challenging times.
Make migrant labour inflows more flexible to changing
demand in the destination countries.
Pre departure training on contract familiarization, cultural
adjustment, financial literacy for migrant workers and their
families.

10. Women migrant workers are more
vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
• Host governments are to guarantee basic human rights of
migrant workers and provide them with adequate labor
protection.
• Missions of sending countries need to provide assistance to
affected migrants and liaise with host governments.

11. Selected Publications..