Into the Unknown: COVID-19 and the Global Mobility of Migrant Workers
AJIL Unbound
; : 332-336, 2020.
Article
in English
| Scopus | ID: covidwho-936057
ABSTRACT
As the COVID-19 crisis developed, the International Labor Organization estimated that 4.7 percent of the global labor pool, comprising 164 million people, were migrant workers who were living and working outside their home country. While some were laid off and sent home for the lockdown, others continued working. These others were migrants performing crucial jobs in the front line of the crisis. They help to produce our food, pack our orders, and build or clean our houses, among other tasks. Many COVID-19 infections appear to be labor-related, with many of the crucial sectors exhibiting an extra-high risk of virus transmission. Migrant workers on the frontline can be low-waged, hold a temporary job, lack knowledge of their legal position and the local language, and have a limited social network and high dependency on others - such as recruiters or temporary employment agencies - for work and housing. This essay addresses these migrant vulnerabilities in the labor market and identifies measures that might simultaneously curb the vulnerabilities and account for industrial needs for labor in essential sectors. We argue that the vulnerability of migrant laborers is structural;the COVID-19 crisis has put a magnifying glass on a preexisting vulnerability and clarified the need for solutions. Copyright © Tesseltje de Lange, Sandra Mantu and Paul Minderhoud 2020.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
Scopus
Language:
English
Journal:
AJIL Unbound
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
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