Migrant Labour and Inequalities in the Nepal–Malaysia Corridor (and Beyond)

Malaysia is an upper middle-income country heavily reliant on migrant labour from 15 different countries to work in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, and service sectors. For Nepali citizens, Malaysia is a popular destination country in addition to the Gulf Co-operation Council (GOC) states. After Indonesians and Bangladeshis, Nepalis constitute the third largest migrant labour force in Malaysia. Drawing on the concept of “migration infrastructure” as a point of departure, this chapter examines the range of pre-existing everyday and structurally imposed migration inequalities faced by Nepalis along the Nepal–Malaysia corridor. It also elaborates on how these inequalities, which were relatively ignored or underplayed in the past, became accentuated and brought into public view during the COVID-19 global pandemic, and in its wake set in motion long overdue policy reforms.