외국인 노동자의 이주 특성과 연구동향 = Migrant Characteristics of Foreign Workers and Research Trends in Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The objective of this study is to examine the studies of foreign workers in Korea at a level of meta-analysis focusing on their subjects and methodology. Over the last 15 years, studies of foreign workers have diversified subjects and refined methodology reflecting major characteristics of migration patterns including a rapid increase in number, large populations of illegal sojourners, a majority low-skilled young male workers from less developed countries, and an active role of migrant-support NGOs. Nevertheless, the studies have shown problems such as a higher ratio of macroscopic discussions, overemphasis on social problematic issues and a tendency towards descriptive analysis. Methodologically, they have also revealed an inactive use of empirical and quantitative data, lack of representativeness of sample and disregard of an importance of language in the study of foreigners. Based on the analysis, this study proposes strategies to enhance researches of foreign workers in Korea.