In the knowledge-based world of the 21st century, human talent is seen to be the key to generating innovative, enterprising economies. Given labour shortages as a result of ageing local populations and the added complexity of low fertility rates, many countries have introduced new measures to (selectively) attract skilled migrants in the quest to augment their talent pools. While different countries have different experiences and degrees of success with attracting variously ‘skilled’ migrants, they also face comparative issues relating to categorizing, utilizing and integrating these migrants. This conference takes as a point of departure the notion that ‘skills’ and as such the idea of ‘skilled migrants’ are socially constructed categories shaped by immigration and labor policies, as well as public discourse. The principle question we would like to examine in this workshop is the way nation-states as well as migrants interpret and engage with the notion of skills.
This conference is the result of longstanding collaborative research of the organizing committee members of the Asian Migration Cluster at the National University of Singapore and the Migration and Citizenship Research Group of the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University. The conference was made possible by generous sponsorship from the TGU-Waseda Global Asia Program.
- Date: September 20 and 21, 2018
- Time: 10:00-17:00 (September 20); 9:00-15:30 (September 21)
- Venue: Room 309, Nishi-Waseda Building (Bldg. 19), Waseda University
- Open to students, faculty, staff and the general public
- No admission fee
- Contact information: TGU Global Asia Research Center at [email protected]
