Migrant Workers’ Rights to Social Protection in ASEAN: Case Studies of Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand

The UN estimates that there are 214 million migrants globally (IOM, 2010), making up 3% of the world’s total population. Increasing rapidly, the number of migrants globally could exceed 400 million by 2050. Focusing in on Asia, estimates suggest this continent was, in 2010, home to more than 27.5 million migrants or 13% of the total global figure. This report briefly lays out the international and ASEAN standards regarding social protection, migrants, and migrant social protection and then explores some of the general themes in the debate about migrant access to social protection globally. It then provides four case studies of low and medium skilled migrant workers, their access to social protection in Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.