Bangladeshi Migrant workers in Brunei: Migration, Employment and Networking

• In Event: Formation of Neo-Plural Societies as Emerging Migration Regimes

Abstract

Migration from Bangladesh to Brunei officially started in 1992. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower, 228 Bangladeshi workers migrated to Brunei in 1992 and by 2009 there were 21,025 Bangladeshi workers in Brunei. This study initially identifies the socioeconomic factors which are responsible for the migration of Bangladeshi workers. Secondly, it discusses the pre-migration and post-migration circumstances in Bangladesh and in Brunei respectively. Finally, it will focus on the networking processes, particularly the role of middlemen and brokers in the migration of Bangladeshi migrant workers to Brunei.

It describes legal and clandestine labor migration to Brunei, the influence of employment brokers on the process, and the organization of the recruitment networks. The involvement of brokers is crucial but not always beneficial for the migrants. Migrants are dependent on the brokers and risk exploitation. Fieldwork was conducted in Brunei and in selected villages in Bangladesh where the migrant workers come from. The proposed paper will examine how social network influences the process of Bangladesh migration to their temporary settlement in Brunei.

Author

• Mst. Rayhena Sarker, Universiti Brunei Darussalam