Labor Market Participation of Urban Women in Southeast Asia by Migration Status: Evidence from Microdata

Labor Market participation decisions of migrant and non-migrant women residing in urban areas of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are analyzed using household survey data. MIgrant women are at least as likely to work in the urban labor market as are non-migrant women, ceteris paribus. Duration of residence in the urban area was not found to be a significant determinant of ever-married women's participation decisions. Never-married women in the Philippines have higher labor force participation rates than non-migrant women with this difference being smaller for women with more years of residence in the urban area.