International Conference on
'In and Out of Asia: Migrating Talent, Globalising Cities
Date: 19-21 November 2007
Location: NUS, Singapore, University Hall Auditorium, Level 2 Lee Kong Chian Wing
Jointly organised by FASS Migration Cluster and the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
In today’s highly globalised economy, many countries and their globalizing cities are increasingly turning to global talent for economic development, especially in high growth sectors. Current migration trends show that global talent flows are growing and are moving mainly to the European Union, USA, Canada and Australia, particularly to their main cities.
Asia, as the world’s fastest growing economic region, has joined in the global competition for talent, both in terms of talent outflows from home countries to other Asian countries and other parts of the world, and of talent inflows from the rest of the world to Asia. Of concern too is the need to encourage Asian talent to ‘return’ to home countries in Asia. The overall major focus is the creation of a conducive working and living environment that will attract and retain global talent.
Global talent include highly mobile skilled workers such as business creators, technical experts, technology innovators, health professionals, and those in scientific, educational and cultural sectors. For such skilled individuals, globalization has opened up unprecedented and immense opportunities to work and live as expatriates. Typically based in high growth industries within globalizing cities, career development prospects and cosmopolitan lifestyles together make the “career-city-country” combination a natural and attractive growth path to follow.
While talent migration flows contribute to high economic growth, they pose issues related to economic competition, acculturation and cross-cultural relations, and social integration and community cohesion, with complex consequences and challenges for countries, companies, communities, families and individuals.
This conference aims to explore the intertwining economic, social, cultural and socio-psychological issues of global talent in-migration in Asia, with a focus on the following themes:
1. The Attractions of Places and Policies
This segment looks at the range of career-country-city attractions offered by place and policies/practices of government, industry and firm on the one hand, and the relocation decisions, expectations, needs and experiences of expatriate talent on the other, and their matches and mismatches.
2. Socio-Psychological Dimensions of Global Talent Management
This segment includes a) issues of behavioral and psychological adaptation of expatriates’ relocation, job performance, work relations with local colleagues, workplace management of cultural diversity, and cross-cultural relations, and b) expatriates’ relocation decisions and their families’ responses and adaptations to relocation changes.
3. Cultural Politics of Everyday Encounters
In working and living amidst cosmopolitan city cultures, hyper-mobile transnational elites encounter different bases for hybridized forms of cultural identification. The politics of identity and belonging are also played out between them and locals in everyday encounters. This segment focuses on the social, cultural and political aspects of these two sets of encounters.
PUBLICATION
The output from the conference is expected to be special issues in internationally refereed journals.
REGISTRATION FEE DETAILS
- Standard fee for all 3 days: SGD 250
- Daily fee:
Day 1: SGD 120
Day 2: SGD 120
Day 3: SGD 60
- Registration Fee is waived for NUS staff and students
The conference fee includes lunches (for day 1 & 2) and tea/coffee. Conference packages will only be given to participants who have paid the Standard/Daily Fee.
To receive the staff/student rate, please attach a copy of your NUS staff/student card, or any proof of status.
Applicants should send in their bank drafts or cheques made payable to the "National University of Singapore", together with a completed registration form to the conference secretariat (as stated in the form) by 8 November 2007.
CONTACT DETAILS
Organizers:
Professor Brenda Yeoh geoysa@nus.edu.sg
A/P Shirlena Huang geoslena@nus.edu.sg
Dr Lai Ah Eng arilae@nus.edu.sg
Dr Leong Chan Hoong arilch@nus.edu.sg
Secretariat:
Valerie Yeo
ariyeov@nus.edu.sg
Sharon Wok sharonwok@nus.edu.sg
