Economies of exploitation: human trafficking, labour regimes and the politics of mobility in Southeast Asia

Purpose This paper examines human trafficking in Southeast Asia as a structural feature of labour regimes and mobility governance, rather than an isolated criminal phenomenon. It analyses how state policies, recruitment systems and regional inequalities produce exploitable migrant labour. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a political economy framework, the study employs comparative qualitative analysis of secondary empirical studies, policy documents, legal and regional instruments, court and enforcement materials and existing research on major migration corridors across Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore. It does not present new interview data; prior field engagement in the region informs contextual interpretation only. Findings The paper identifies three mechanisms – governed precarity, labour brokerage statecraft and the exploitation–mobility nexus – as central to understanding trafficking's persistence in the region. Trafficking emerges from restrictive visa regimes, debt-financed recruitment, subcontracting and criminalization of migrants. Research limitations/implications The study relies on secondary data and comparative policy analysis. It therefore identifies structural mechanisms and cross-national patterns rather than claiming primary ethnographic generalization, underscoring the need for future multi-country fieldwork with migrant workers, brokers, employers, enforcement actors and civil-society organizations. Practical implications Findings support reforms in recruitment systems, regional labour governance, supply-chain accountability and victim-centred protection frameworks. Originality/value The paper reframes trafficking as politically produced immobility embedded in Southeast Asia's development model, offering a systemic, multi-scalar explanation of exploitation.