本研究以越南─臺灣之間的跨國勞工移動過程為例，來探討制度設計如何影響國際的勞工移動過程、移動的費用，以及哪些人從此中獲利。我們認為，兩國的仲介利益團體試圖去影響各自政府的政策與制度設計，加上臺灣與外國政府之間外交關係，形成了臺灣的客工計畫與禁止雇主轉換的規定，這些因素綜合起來，形成目前移工的兩個困境：高額仲介費用以及惡劣的勞動條件。移工在臺灣的工作所得都因為此制度的設計，而被臺灣、越南雙方的其他人士拿走。

In this paper we argue that the common discourse on labor export as a kind of economic development policy to raise poor people’s social welfare is doubtful. The question we raise is “who benefits from this labor export”. Through the analysis of Taiwan-Vietnam labor migration, we document how most surpluses produced by these migrant workers are appropriated by elites in the two countries. All activities involved in the migratory process are profit-oriented. This highly commercialized international labor market, constructed by numerous intermediary agents scattered in both countries, set in the institutional context of Taiwan government’s guestworker scheme and employer-bonded regulation, creates the bonded migrant workers in the bottom of a transnational social hierarchy. Based on extensive fieldwork in Vietnam and Taiwan, this paper offers a detailed example of the context and problems with the international market of migrant workers within Asia.