Suchergebnisse

This article explores how the Japanese have avoided dependence on foreign labor for low skill, and low status employment. Findings suggest that the demand for low-level work remains strong; but is met with native labor, by drawing upon still-plentiful labor reserves, together with integrating low-level work into the whole occupational structure and social value system. Contracting out certain services to specialized firms is one Japanese institution that might be emulated on a wide scale in the West.

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POPULAR THEORIES ABOUT THE INTEGRATION OR NONINTEGRATION OF FOREIGN WORKERS, THERE IS LITTLE SYSTEMATIC EVIDENCE OF THE STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC OPINION ON THAT ISSUE. THIS RESEARCH EXAMINES FOUR SUCH THEORIES: THAT FOREIGN WORKERS POSE A DIRECT THREAT TO JOBS AND SERVICES; THAT THEY POLARIZE AN OTHERWISE CONSENSUAL SYSTEM; THAT THEY HEIGHTEN PERSONAL INSECURITIES; AND THAT CONTACT WITH THEM EXACERBATES CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. WITH THE AID OF DATA FROM THE 1980 NATIONAL SOCIAL SURVEY IN WEST GERMANY, WE CONCLUDE THAT NONE OF THE POPULAR THEORIES IS SUPPORTED BY EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE, AND THAT RELUCTANCE TO INTEGRATE FOREIGN WORKERS IS NOT DEFINED IN TERMS OF TRADITIONAL POLITICAL OR SOCIOECONOMIC CONFLICT IN GERMANY. THAT LEAVES POLITICAL LEADERSHIP WITH BOTH THE OPPORTUNITY AND THE BURDEN OF LENDING DEFINITION TO THE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE SIDE OF PERMANENT INTEGRATION FOR FOREIGNERS.

Singapore has emerged as one of the major importers of temporary workers in East Asia, particularly from Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, and has developed policies to maximize the benefits of foreign labor while minimizing its social and economic costs. Government policies restrict unskilled foreign workers to approved sectors and prohibit settlement in Singapore. Illegal workers are subject to imprisonment and the controversial punishment of mandatory caning. On the other hand, policies toward highly qualified and professional workers are exceptionally liberal, with new rules designed to attract skilled people from Hong Kong. As regional labor flows grow, Singapore's dependence on skilled and unskilled foreign labor will go beyond the primacy of a domestic focus and lead to an increased emphasis on managing labor problems through skillful diplomacy and migrant protection.