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Migrant workers

Migrant workers

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Migrant workers. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

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Celebrities

The Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sánchez wedding, day 1 – who wore what?

27 Jun 2025 - 4:40PM

Discover who wore what on day one of the Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sánchez wedding in Venice. Photo: AP

Military

China says Philippines face ‘self-inflicted destruction’ by hosting US missiles

27 Jun 2025 - 3:16PMvideocam

A US Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher deployed in Northern Luzon, the Philippines, on April 8, 2024. Photo: US Army

Military

Chinese navy chief of staff and nuclear scientist expelled from top legislature

27 Jun 2025 - 8:53PM

Vice Admiral Li Hanjun has been stripped of his membership of the National People’s Congress. Photo: Handout

Trending in China

Taiwan man soaks feet in dry ice for 10 hours to con insurance firms, loses feet

27 Jun 2025 - 8:23PM

A Taiwanese man soaked his feet in dry ice for 10 hours to defraud insurance companies, resulting in a double amputation. Photo: SCMP composite/Yahoo

Diplomacy

White House says US reaches ‘understanding’ with China on rare earth shipments

27 Jun 2025 - 10:22AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Help wanted: the Hong Kong domestic workers fighting to stay in the city despite two-week rule

Video | Domestic ‘helpers’ battle two-week rule to stay in Hong Kong

27 Oct 2024 - 10:45AM

Migrant workers in China

Video | Migrant workers who transformed China now struggling to survive

18 Oct 2023 - 10:00AM

Fifa World Cup 2022

Video | Dreams turn to dust for Qatar’s migrant workers

20 Nov 2022 - 6:00AM

Video | Covid lockdowns spark rare unrest in Guangzhou

15 Nov 2022 - 10:16PM

Covid lockdowns spark rare protest in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou

Opinion | How immigration reform can help ageing Asia find the care workers it needs

Asian countries in need of long-term carers cannot meet the growing demand through domestic recruitment alone. Multi-year visas, emigration that benefits countries of origin and regional collaboration can all help ensure proper care.

12 May 2022 - 9:45AMvideocam

Migrant workers in China

‘Factory jobs can’t teach you anything’: China’s migrants seek pastures new

China’s manufacturers are increasingly struggling to recruit workers, as young people turn up their noses at the low wages and lack of advancement opportunities in factory work.

22 Apr 2022 - 10:38AMvideocam

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Malaysia to speed up hiring of 180,000 foreign workers to ease shortage

A special committee will meet daily from April 15 to quicken the approval process to alleviate a labour crunch that has hit the palm oil plantation sector hard.

14 Apr 2022 - 11:36AMvideocam

Workers plant oil palm seeds at a plantation in Slim River, Malaysia. File photo: Reuters

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

‘Treat us as human beings’, say Hong Kong domestic workers who caught Covid

Dozens of domestic workers who tested positive for Covid-19 have been left homeless and facing discrimination; crisis highlights need to revise rule forcing them to live in the same house as employers.

3 Apr 2022 - 11:57AMvideocam

China's population

See ya, Shanghai? China’s top-tier cities lose out as others lure talent

Beijing’s population of 21.89 million decreased by about 4,000 last year, while places such as Chengdu added nearly a quarter-million residents – a trend some attribute to rising costs and job uncertainties.

29 Mar 2022 - 3:24AMvideocam

Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan face struggles, discrimination

Tari Sasha was lured to Taiwan by the prospects of a good job, but received empty promises and discrimination instead.

20 Mar 2022 - 5:00PM

Indonesian women stroll around Taipei in 2016. Photo: Getty Images

Vietnamese migrants fill Romania’s worker crunch but face risk of exploitation

Vietnamese working in Romania have been exposed to harsh conditions and human smuggling. Advocates say the EU country must fix its labour rights laws, since it now wants to take in Ukrainian refugees.

16 Mar 2022 - 4:46PM

An artist’s sketch of Huy, a Vietnamese worker in Romania. Artwork: Czarina Divinagracia

Why are so many affluent Indian expats suddenly heading to Dubai?

Pfizer Covid shots, sparkling clean streets and tax-free policies are among the draws. And for investors with US$2.7 million to spare, there are ‘Golden Visas’, too.

6 Mar 2022 - 4:18PM

Singapore’s new rules for expat visas

New system is the biggest ever visa change and shows that government seeks to foster local employment and industries, while addressing public concerns about international firms hiring foreigners.

6 Mar 2022 - 4:23PMvideocam

Migrant workers in China

China’s urbanisation growth rate slows to quarter-century low

Downward trend could continue this year as the pandemic endures, experts say, while broader concerns stretch to the impact of urbanisation on China’s birth rate.

28 Feb 2022 - 6:30PMvideocam

The pace of China’s urbanisation has been trending down in recent years, and last year it fell to its lowest point since 1996. Photo: AFP

China’s weak consumption over Lunar New Year may signal ‘worsening economy’

Deterred by the discouraging travel policies and sporadic outbreaks of the Omicron variant, more than 70 per cent of domestic tourists chose short-distance trips.

7 Feb 2022 - 6:56PMvideocam

Tourists take photos at Jingshan Park in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Migrant workers in China

Has one philosophy student changed the face of migrant workers in China?

Social media recently became enthralled by the story of a 31-year-old migrant who taught himself English, translated a philosophy book and found he could make a living without manual labour, bucking migrant stereotypes.

31 Jan 2022 - 8:33PMvideocam

Malaysia’s labour rights record under scrutiny as investors prioritise ESG

With more Malaysian firms accused of labour abuse, analysts warn the country’s reputation as a global production base could suffer.

20 Jan 2022 - 8:31AMvideocam

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Singapore rents hit six-year high, fuelling expat housing woes

The pandemic can be blamed for much of the hurt, with construction delays, homeowners returning from abroad, and an increased demand for space to work from home all reducing rental stock and pushing tenants into the market.

28 Dec 2021 - 10:07AM

Private residential houses and public housing estates pictured in the Hougang area of Singapore. Photo: Bloomberg

Dozens of migrants heading for US die in Mexico truck crash

At least 54 people died when a freight truck crammed with as many as 200 people from Guatemala and Honduras tipped over in southern Mexico.

10 Dec 2021 - 3:19PMvideocam

Woman ‘borrows police’ to see if husband cheating, a migrant-worker philosophy genius, students save the day

This week’s quirky stories from China feature a woman trying to “borrow” the local police to catch her husband cheating, except he wasn’t.

27 Nov 2021 - 9:00AMvideocam

Chinese overseas

From coolie to tiger mother, professor counters Chinese stereotypes

In The Chinese Question, Mae Ngai describes how migrant labourers fought for their rights. It’s an issue made newly relevant by the re-emergence of some repugnant attitudes towards Chinese people, she says.

28 Aug 2021 - 8:45PM

Chinese labourers working on the Northwest Pacific Railway in the United States in the 1880s. Imported Chinese labourers were called coolies, a label author Mae Ngai is seeking to lift from their backs in her book The Chinese Question. Photo: Getty Images

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

Opinion | More than gratitude, Hong Kong’s domestic helpers deserve respect

International Domestic Workers’ Day is an good time to remind ourselves of foreign domestic workers’ immense contribution to our city. They deserve the same rights as any other worker and should not face discrimination and prejudice because of their job.

21 Jun 2021 - 10:59AMvideocam

Foreign domestic workers in North Point pack daily items such as food, clothes and toys to ship back to their home country on May 16. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Video | Alleged abuses in Taiwanese fishing

13 May 2021 - 9:51PM

The Philippines

Southeast Asia mirrors China with generation of left-behind children

Many parents have come to accept separation as the price they pay for working, while places like the Philippines have come to view migrant workers as heroes.

2 May 2023 - 12:21AMvideocam

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Video | Noodle shop owner rocks on despite Covid-19

2 Jun 2020 - 3:00PM

Chinese noodle shop owner rocks on to fight coronavirus blues

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Video | Singapore Land Transport Authority moves migrant workers on-site after dorm outbreaks

7 May 2020 - 12:55PM

Singapore Land Transport Authority workers now living on-site after Covid-19 outbreak in dorms

Video | Deadly lung disease devastates Chinese mining community

4 Nov 2019 - 6:02PM

Video | Israel-born Filipino children fight deportation

31 Jul 2019 - 1:06PM

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