Abstract
Migrant worker programmes (MWPs) offer the promise of increased productivity, lower consumer prices, cultural interchange and higher living standards for workers coming from poorer countries. Unfortunately, these programmes have regularly been bedevilled by various abuses and unintended consequences. Such failures have tended to mitigate popular support among native workers and citizens; this, in turn, has kept MWPs below the levels wanted by employers for maximal productivity. In this article, an argument is made for new market-based MWPs that seek to align the support and interests of native workers, employers, consumers, governments, and the interests of migrants.