The analysis and discussion of local labour markets as social outcomes of local
structures and processes is now well established in the literature. However much
of the work has focused on the rich world and/or on modern activities. This paper
examines how traditional labour regimes in rural areas of two poor(er) countries,
Thailand and the Lao PDR, are changing as their respective local and non-local
economies evolve. The paper highlights the importance of a historical
perspective in any interpretation of the present and considers the remnant role of
the ‘moral’ economy in structuring labour relations. Consideration is also given
to the complex ways in which the modern and the traditional inter-relate and the
role of cultural change in profoundly reworking local labour practices. Building
on this, the paper addresses the degree to which the ‘social’ in labour markets is
being fundamentally reworked as transition proceeds.