The Asian and Pacific Migration Journal has long been promoting efforts
to prepare an annual report on international migration statistics in
Asia, similar in concept to the Continuous Reporting System on Migration
(SOPEMI) report prepared by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
for Development (OECD). This special issue highlights the results
of the Migration Information System in Asia (MISA) Project, a project
supported by the International Labour Organization-Regional Office
for Asia and the Pacific and coordinated by the Scalabrini Migration
Center.
The completeness and availability of statistics on international migration
in Asia are gradually improving, largely because of strengthening
administrative procedures that produce those statistics. Major gaps
exist, however, owing both to omissions in those reporting procedures
and to migration that occurs outside of the administrative framework.
This volume demonstrates that areas of strength include statistics on
temporary labor deployment, the potential to utilize census data to understand
migration levels and trends, and the constant evolution of migration
policies and institutions in the region.
Weaknesses in the compilation of migration statistics occur in the
registration of foreign workers, estimates of unauthorized migration,
measurement of return migration, estimating the number of nationals
abroad, the public availability of migration statistics and institutional
cooperation. Key findings of the statistics presented in the volume relate
to the historical context of migration in the region, the expanding volume
and the gender dimensions of international migration. This overview
chapter makes the rather obvious argument that more comprehensive
migration statistics and their improved availability are necessary
for an informed public discussion about migration, more detailed anal-
232 ASIAN AND PACIFIC MIGRATION JOURNAL
ysis and sounder policy formulation. It offers a few suggestions for regional
cooperation in improving migration statistics.