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This article looks at the political economy of transnational labor migrations between less developed countries and high-growth regions in Southeast Asia. Through a focus on Indonesian migrations toward Malaysia and Singapore, we aim to show that these movements serve as a resource for all the countries involved. They allow all three states to reconcile otherwise divergent economic and political goals that are closely related to their respective development plans. Moreover, these migrations stimulate regional economic growth by balancing economic and demographic resources between different countries. Finally, however, we will show that these labor flows also impose constraints on public action and fuel tensions on different scales: within the respective countries, in bilateral relations, and on the international stage.