Migrant worker numbers rise by five million: ILO

Migrant worker numbers rise by five million: ILO

GENEVA "” The number of international migrant workers has increased from 164 to 169 million, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday, noting a marked rise in the number of young people seeking opportunities abroad, too. A new report from the ILO indicates that migrant workers made up one in 20 of the world's workforce in 2019, often carrying out key functions in critical sectors from health care to transportation and food processing. Key contribution "We have seen that in a number of regions migrant workers represent a sizable share of the workforce; they are contributing of course to the economies and societies of their host countries, but also to their home countries through remittances," said Manuela Tomei, director of the ILO Conditions of Work and Equality Department. Despite their value to the global economy, the UN body warned that many migrant workers face uncertainty at work, a situation made worse by the pandemic. The only opportunities they often find are "temporary, informal or unprotected jobs", leaving them exposed to a greater risk of insecurity, layoffs and worsening working conditions, ILO maintained. "The COVID-19 crisis has intensified these vulnerabilities, particularly for women migrant workers, as they are over-represented in