A world market in labour has been in the making since Christopher Columbus first landed on the shores of Central America in 1492. This unique book recounts the history of the extraordinary scale and constantly changing character of this movement of workers from one part of the globe to another over the past five centuries.

The author outlines this history from the Spaniards' initial enslavement of the Indian populations of Central and South America, and their replenishment by African slaves, to the present day, including contemporary migration to the USA, Europe, Japan, and the oil-rich countries of the Middle East. Throughout, the dual exploitation of women forms an integral part of this study.

The author sets this history in the context of various competing theories of capitalist expansion and its demand for labour, and begins the construction of a comprehensive theory of the world market for labour power.