Cultural Proximity and the Culture of Migration in Cross-Border Labor Mobility: Indonesian Migrant Workers along the West Kalimantan-Malaysia Border

This study examines cross-border labor mobility from West Kalimantan, Indonesia, to Malaysia through the interplay of economic conditions, social networks, and cultural processes. Drawing on cultural proximity and the culture of migration, it examines how destination familiarity and socially embedded migration practices are related to cross-border mobility. Survey data from 220 Indonesian migrant workers were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Linguistic-cultural similarity emerged as the highest-rated indicator, highlighting the perceived cultural accessibility of Malaysia. The structural results show that push factors, pull factors, and social networks are significantly associated with retrospective migration appraisals. Mobility patterns are associated with push factors and social networks, but not pull factors, suggesting that destination attractiveness matters more for retrospective migration appraisals than for subsequent movement patterns. All three antecedents are significantly associated with remittance impacts, with social networks showing the strongest relationship. The findings indicate that cross-border labor mobility is embedded in a cultural infrastructure in which economic pressures, destination attractiveness, social networks, cultural familiarity, and transnational household relationships intersect. The study contributes a culturally grounded understanding of labor mobility and informs migrant protection and border-region policy.