Sharp rise in migrant worker numbers

THERE are some 164 million migrant workers around the globe, marking a rise of 9 percent from 2013, according to the UN.

An International Labour Organization report found that migrant workers make up about 4.7 percent of the global workforce, and that the lion’s share of them are employed in high-income and upper middle-income countries.

The report, based on UN numbers from 2017, defines migrant workers as people older than 15 who have moved to a country in search of work or were seeking or had found employment after moving to a foreign country.

The 164 million figure marks a clear jump from 2013 data, which counted the number of migrant workers at 150 million.

The report, released amid growing scepticism of a UN pact set to be adopted next week in Morocco aimed at helping better manage migration flows, includes data on both regular and irregular migrants.

Manuela Tomei, director of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Equality Department, warned against the growing perception of migration as a “crisis” and against describing migrant arrivals as “an invasion.”

She said such language sparked “insecurity and anxiety in host communities.”

“There are real positive gains, dividends that come with migration, both for the migrant’s country of origin and for the host country, if managed properly,” she said.