Waseda University Podcasts: Rigorous Research, Real Impact

Rethinking Skilled Migration (Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer)

Jan 21, 2025

In this episode, Gracia Liu-Farrer, a Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute of Asian Migrations, discusses the evolving landscape of skilled migration in Asia, particularly in Japan. She dives into how skills are socially constructed and perceived, highlighting the need for policy reforms amidst demographic crises. Liu-Farrer also addresses the de-skilling phenomenon faced by skilled migrants and the economic challenges of labor export. Her insights shed light on the role of migration in social identity and the need for recognition of diverse migration experiences.

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ANECDOTE

Personal Inspiration

Gracia Liu-Farrer's interest in migration stems from her childhood in China.
Witnessing the stark differences between a small town and a big city sparked her curiosity.

INSIGHT

Skill-Based Migration

Skill-based migration policies arose in the 1960s, replacing discriminatory criteria.
Two main selection methods exist: human capital-based and labor market-oriented.

INSIGHT

Discriminatory Roots

While seemingly less discriminatory, skill-based migration can perpetuate biases.
Colonial legacies influence perceptions of skill, associating certain ethnicities with specific job types.

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Guest Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer (Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies) joins MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey (Waseda Institute for Advanced Study) to explore skill-based migration policies in Asia, a region with more people on the move than any other. Japan features heavily in the discussion, with its increasingly liberal migration policies despite its persistent image as a country comparatively closed to immigration. Professor Liu-Farrer also explains the social construction of skill—how skill is constructed and valued in political, social, and economic contexts—and how migration stands to address societal issues such as demographic crises and labor shortages both in Asia and more broadly.

Link to transcript: https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/83220 About the Guests:

Guest Professor Gracia Liu-Farrer

Dr. Gracia Liu-Farrer is Professor of Sociology at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, and Director of Institute of Asian Migrations, Waseda University, Japan. Her research investigates cross-border migration and immigrants’ socioeconomic and geographic mobility in Asia and Europe. Her articles have appeared in International Migration Review, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies and International Migration. She co-edited Routledge Handbook of Asian Migration (2018, with Brenda Yeoh) and authored monographs Labour Migration from China to Japan: International Students, Transnational Migrants (Routledge, 2011) and Immigrant Japan: Mobility and Belonging in an Ethno-nationalist Society (Cornell University Press, 2020).

MC Assistant Professor Robert Fahey

Dr. Robert A. Fahey is an assistant professor of political science at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study in Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include populism, polarisation, the effects of conspiracy theory belief, and Japanese politics. He is currently working on a series of large-scale surveys aimed at discovering what kinds of conspiracy beliefs are widespread in East Asian countries, and how those beliefs impact the political and social life of those nations.