Thailand's Hidden Workforce

Millions of Burmese women migrate into Thailand each year to form the basis of the Thai agricultural and manufacturing workforce. Un-documented and unregulated, this army of migrant workers constitutes the ultimate 'disposable' labour force, enduring gruelling working conditions and much aggression from the Thai police and immigration authorities. This insightful book ventures into a part of the global economy rarely witnessed by Western observers. Based on unique empirical research, it provides the reader with a gendered account of the role of women migrant workers in Thailand's factories and interrogates the ways in which they manage their families and their futures.

Ruth Pearson is Professor of Development Studies and Director of the Centre for Development Studies, University of Leeds.

Paul French is a regular commentator on China and North East Asia on the international media. He is the author of a number of previous books including the well received North Korea: The Paranoid Pensinsula for Zed Books.