Based on findings from a series of in-depth interviews with returned migrant workers, recruiters, and government officials in Thailand, this paper extends the analysis of the Thai international labor migration institution. The article discusses conceptual models developed to help explain three main modes of overseas labor recruitment used by Northern Thai workers in three sub-districts. These are authorized recruitment and two types of unauthorized recruitment that differ according to whether the migrant pays for the recruitment at the time of migration or works off the recruitment costs with the overseas employer after arrival in the destination country. A gender perspective is used to examine why women and men choose a particular type of recruitment. Several factors are shown to shape male and female migrants — recruitment choices, including gendered labor demand among overseas employers, financial resources available to potential male and female migrants, a desire for “safe” working and living environments among some young women, and differences in social networks and previous overseas migration experience for men and women.
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