Migrants make up an estimated 5% of the global workforce today, compared to less than 2% in 2010.
The Global Migration Indicators (GMI) 2021 report provides snapshots of latest data available on the Global Migration Data Portal, featuring information trends and insights on over a dozen migration issues, including migrant workers, the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on human mobility and future migration trends.
According to the latest available data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for example, foreign doctors account for 33% of the total in the United Kingdom (UK).
“As we celebrate International Migrants Day this week, this report stands as a clear reminder of the role migrants play in the development of their communities worldwide,” said Frank Laczko, IOM GMDAC Director.
The report shows that migrant workers play an increasingly important key role in development in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Money migrants send home from their host countries has exceeded foreign direct investment and overseas development assistance to LMICs since 2018, according to World Bank estimates. In some countries – including El Salvador, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Tonga – these remittances made up more than 25% of total GDP in 2020.
While the global economy continues to rely heavily on migrant workers, people continue to face terrible risks when they cannot access legal pathways in their search for better opportunities.
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