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both of which are highly dependent on migrant labor. In the

case of Malaysia, the migrant workers are estimated anywhere
between two to three million, with a huge number working as
unregistered workers in the vast plantations of the country.

The big question: Is there “free” mobility now for skilled
labor?

On the movement of professionals and skilled labor,
there has been a noticeable increase in the circulation of
highly - educated migrants within the region even without the

Mode 4 of AFAS and the ASEAN MRAs and AQRF. Countries
like Singapore and Malaysia even encourage their entry

during boom times for they help moderate wage surges and
provide these countries needed talents in scaling upward the
technology ladder.

The problem is that statistical data on the movement
of skilled labor are not readily available. A 2015 joint study

of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International
Labour Office indicates that intra-ASEAN migrants increased
8

8 Asian Development Bank and International Labor Office, 2014. ASEAN
Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity.

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