ABSTRACT
Several authors have argued that there is a relationship between the number of migrants employed in low-skilled jobs and the rights accorded to them. For instance, Martin and Ruhs (2006) have signalled that low-skilled migration in high-income countries represents an inevitable trade-off between numbers and rights. Their argument is that the more rights low-skilled migrants have, the less advantageous (or desirable) they are. Similarly, Arango (2003) distinguishes between democratic and non-democratic or autocratic societies. While the former would recognize moral and political obligations vis-à-vis the immigrants while attempting to keep the numbers being admitted as low as possible, the latter would tend to have no problems letting large numbers of people in but only on condition that they are temporary labourers with limited rights. The case of Malaysia is a perfect illustration of the latter: since the early 1990s the Malaysian state did not restrict the entry of migrant workers but placed limits on time of residence, position in the labour market and social and labour rights. This chapter considers how the Malaysian state has tried to control and regulate migration flows and how this policy worked in practice.
