International migrant workers account for nearly five per cent of the labour force around the world, a UN agency has said.
Latest estimates from the International Labour Organisation show numbers rose from 164 million in 2017 to 169 million in 2019, comprising 99 million men and 70 million women.
The ILO found that while 86.5 per cent of migrant workers are “prime-age adults” aged 25 to 64, 10 per cent – or 16.8 million – were aged 15-24 in 2019, an increase of 1.7 per cent in the two-year period. Experts said this was because of a lack of job opportunities for 15-24 year olds in developing countries, as well as a rising world population.
“This trend is certainly related to the very high youth unemployment in many developing countries,” said Manuela Tomei, head of the ILO’s Conditions of Work and Equality Department.
“From the perspective of destination countries, the compositional shift towards younger workers is likely to be positive; increasing the likelihood of a higher participation rate and lower dependency ratio among migrant populations,” the report says.
“For origin countries, however, the effect would be reversed, and would be particularly challenging if youth workers move permanently to foreign countries, which could result in a shrinking labour force, brain drain and resulting impacts on economic growth and development prospective.”
Although the statistics relate to the pre-pandemic era, the ILO said the often precarious nature of migrants' employment meant they were likely to be hit harder by the economic effects of Covid-19.
Ms Tomei said early indications suggested there may have been a decline in the number of migrant workers. Some may have returned to their country of origin, she said.
“The pandemic has exposed the precariousness of their situation. Migrant workers are often first to be laid off, they experience difficulties in accessing treatment and they are often excluded from national Covid-19 policy responses,” Ms Tomei said.
More than two thirds of workers are in high-income countries, the ILO said.
The report gave warning that the effects "on women migrant workers appear to have intensified already existing vulnerabilities, as they are over-represented in low-paid and low-skilled jobs and have limited access to and fewer options for support services”.
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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