Lao People's Democratic Republic Flow Monitoring Survey Report 2022 on Lao Labour Migration to Thailand

Labour migration of Lao people to Thailand is the largest international migration flow in Lao People’s Democratic Republic and is a vital livelihood means for hundreds of thousand Lao migrants and their families. The aim of this Flow Monitoring report was to gather and analyze data on key migration topics, namely migration profiles, drivers of migration, pre-migration arrangements and migration journeys, financial status, vulnerabilities, and reasons for return. Moreover, this year’s Flow Monitoring report drew comparisons with previous reports to identify key trends and changes in labour migration of Lao People to Thailand. 

Data collection for this Flow Monitoring report took place between 14 to 29 September 2022 at Vientiane Central Bus Station, First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge and on various buses that run between the two locations. Two surveys were utilized, namely (i) Inflow Survey targeting Lao labour migrants returning from Thailand after working there and (ii) Outflow Survey targeting Lao labour migrants departing to Thailand for work. The Inflow survey had 174 valid responses and the Outflow survey had 350 valid responses.