Leveraging skills and migration networks: Indonesian fishers in Brunei Darussalam

Despite a well-established body of scholarship foregrounding migrant agency, research on Indonesian fishers working abroad has tended to emphasize vulnerability and economic hardship. Our case study of Indonesians working in Brunei Darussalam’s small-scale fisheries sector offers a more nuanced perspective. Despite being classified as ‘unskilled’ migrants, many of these fishers achieve livelihood security and a better standard of living by leveraging their expertise and social networks. Interviews reveal that Brunei-based employers value Indonesian fishers for their fishing skills, adaptability, dedication to the trade, and ability to recruit additional fishers from their home communities. We show that the Indonesian fishers participate in long-standing migration networks shaped by decades of circular migration between Java’s north coast and Brunei’s Jerudong Beach. Beyond providing social security, these networks empower fishers to negotiate better working conditions and strengthen their bargaining position. Building on livelihood analysis, migration studies and small-scale fisheries research, we argue that understanding migrant agency through the skills and mobility networks fishers rely on is crucial for assessing how they secure livelihoods, navigate transnational labour markets, and shape their own economic opportunities.