Migrant workers are vulnerable but they could be more valuable

With Sri Lanka still struggling to overcome its worst socio-economic crisis since independence, the United Nations recently marked International Migrants’ Day and issued a statement saying in recent years, conflicts, insecurity, and the effects of climate change have heavily contributed to the forced movement of people, whether within countries or across borders.   

Giving some important and disturbing figures, the UN says that in 2020 more than 281 million people were international migrants. The UN says more than 59 million were internally displaced by the end of 2021.  

Regardless of the reasons that compel people to move, migrants and displaced people represent some of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society, and are often exposed to abuse and exploitation, have limited access to essential services including healthcare, and are faced with xenophobic attacks and stigma fueled by misinformation.  

Due to the persistent lack of safe and regular migration pathways, millions continue to take perilous journeys each year. Since 2014 more than 50,000 migrants have lost their lives on migratory routes across the world.  

Despite this, migrants have proven to be a source of prosperity, innovation, and sustainable development to countries of origin, transit, and host countries. Their financial contribution through remittance offers a lifeline to families and spurs local markets especially those of Low- and Middle-Income Countries while their role in the labour market remains invaluable as evident on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Their knowledge, networks, and skills have greatly contributed to the development of resilient communities.  

Strengthening the contribution of migrants to sustainable development requires a collective effort to improve the governance of migration and address the challenges migrants face. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) offers the opportunity and guidance to actualize human mobility and seize the opportunities it presents.  

Every year on December 18, the world marks International Migrants Day, a day set aside to recognize the important contribution of migrants while highlighting the challenges they face.  

The UN Migration Agency (IOM) defines a migrant as any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his or her habitual place of residence, regardless of the person’s legal status; whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary; what the causes for the movement are; or what the length of the stay is.   

No State can manage migration effectively and sustainably in isolation. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is an effective tool for States to discuss how best to address challenges to human mobility without compromising the human rights of people and states’ sovereignty, the UN says.   

Highlighting migration and development the UN says the lure of a well-paid job in a wealthy country is a powerful driver of international migration. The attraction has intensified as income differentials among countries continue to grow. This holds true not only regarding the large and growing differentials between high and low-income countries but also with regard to the more dynamic and the less-dynamic developing countries.   

Many advanced and dynamic economies need migrant workers to fill jobs that cannot be outsourced and that do not find local workers willing to take them at going wages. Population ageing also underlies this growing demand, as it gives rise to deficits of workers relative to dependents. And as younger generations become better educated, fewer in their ranks are content with low-paid and physically demanding jobs.  

Migration may reduce wages or lead to higher unemployment among low-skilled workers in advanced economies, many of whom are themselves migrants who arrived in earlier waves.   

However, most migrants complement the skills of domestic workers instead of competing with them. By performing tasks that either would go undone or cost more, migrants allow citizens to perform other, more productive and better-paid jobs. They also maintain viable economic activities that, in their absence, would be outsourced. Till recently Sri Lanka depended heavily on remittances by millions of professionals and domestic aides working in Middle Eastern countries, Italy and other countries. They sent billions in foreign exchange to stabilize the Sri Lankan economy while also raising the living standards of their own families.   

But now with Sri Lanka declaring itself to be bankrupt, most migrant workers are believed to be sending their foreign exchange through black market channels which brokers indulge in various rackets. One way of tackling this problem is to appoint top diplomats as envoys to these countries.