South Asian countries want more work visas in developed countries through world trade talks. South Asian countries say world trade talks can help solve labour disparities by providing low cost, low skilled labour to fill labour gaps in developed countries.
“At the moment it is the high skill categories that go to developed countries. What we expect is for our low skilled labour also to go to developed countries,” says Pranav Kumar, a trade expert from the Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment of India, at a consultation organised by Sri Lanka’s Institute of Policy Studies.
But while the trade in services is the fastest growing form of international trade countries are not keen to open up to foreign workers.
Despite the potential benefits both ways, even rich countries worry about losing their jobs to foreigners.
For instance the wage parity requirement set by trade unions in developed countries require that foreigners working in their countries get th