Wondering why migrants left their country to work overseas? Is the life across the border really that promising? Is the world's situation conducive for the free movement of the people?
Find out the answer to these questions in our articles below!
Most people understand who migrant workers are. Migration is a big deal, especially in this globalization era, when migrant workers are more important to both the host and the home countries than in the past. Much more is known about the background of those who decide to leave their home countries and work overseas. Today, we cannot talk about migrant workers without also discussing all legal and social aspects surrounding the topic.
There is a word from the Malay world that captures the spirit of going away from home in its general, but deep essence. It is called merantau, often used by the Minangkabau people in Sumatera, but in common use among other Malays and Indonesians in general. This word means to leave one's home village or country. It could imply that the move is only temporary, or that it could be for a very long time, or even it could be permanent. However, it is also implied that perantau (i.e. the one who goes 'merantau') will maintain some sort of connection with the home village or country. There are many reasons why people go 'merantau', or in general, work and live abroad. Economic necessity, we believe, is a very important factor. However, we have to also remember that the migration industry, especially in this globalization era, is very complex and immense as it displays a great variety on many different levels regarding the supply-demand relationship of one part of the world and another part of the world. Socio-cultural factor is also playing a role here.
Free trade is a trade model of goods and services between countries that do not have government-imposed restrictions such as import taxes, tariffs and quotas. It is characterized by the free access to enter the market. The idea that each country owns properties (goods or services) that have different market values supports the idea of free trade. The expectation is that each country can trade without being imposed with burdened rules, thus giving benefits for both producers and consumers in each country that are involved in free trades.
Remittance is money that is earned sent by migrant workers to their home countries. Remittance is one of the biggest economic resources, especially for the third world and developing countries. World Bank even stated that remittance is the second largest income being earned by developing countries. This brings a very important impact towards the third world economies by helping them declining the poverty rate and increasing the citizen's welfare.