The ILMS Database is the first of its kind in the region. It gathers together official government data from a number of statistical sources on international migrant workers’ stocks and flows within the region as well as on countries’ nationals living or working abroad. In doing so it fills an important knowledge gap, creating a powerful research tool through which policymakers and others can profile and monitor the international migrant labour force within the region.

The ILMS Database is published at a critical time for the ASEAN region, as economic development, regional integration, and demographic factors continue to drive intra-regional labour mobility.

The ILMS Database was created by the ILO’s project on Tripartite Action for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in the ASEAN Region (ASEAN TRIANGLE Project), which is funded by the Canadian Government. It was developed through extensive collaboration with both the ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and the International Labour Organization (ILO).