Paul Tacon Social Affairs Officer, Social Development Division, United Nations ESCAP

Transcription

1 Paul Tacn Scial Affairs Officer, Scial Develpment Divisin, United Natins ESCAP Paul Tacn is a Scial Affairs Officer at the United Natins Ecnmic and Scial Cmmissin fr Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), where he has wrked since Prir t this, he wrked fr the Ecnmic and Scial Cmmissin fr Western Asia in Beirut, Lebann. Prir t jining the UN, he wrked at the headquarters f the Internatinal Organizatin fr Migratin frm He hlds a Master s degree in Migratin Studies frm the University f Sussex.

2 Asia-Pacific Migratin Reprt 2015: Migrants Cntributin t Develpment Key Messages Presentatin at the Cnference n New Paradigms fr a Changing Migratin Landscape Chulalngkrn University, Bangkk 17 December

3 Backgrund Thematic Wrking Grup n Internatinal Migratin, including Human Trafficking Set up in 2005 Brings tgether 14 agencies C-chaired by ESCAP and IOM Aims t supprt better migratin plicy-making in Asia-Pacific Undertakes infrmatin-sharing and jint utputs Previus reprts: 2008 Situatin Reprt n Internatinal Migratin in East and Suth-East Asia Situatin Reprt n Internatinal Migratin in Suth and Suth-West Asia Other jint utputs include database n labur migratin utflw:

4 Overview f migratin in Asia and the Pacific There were ver 59 millin migrants in Asia-Pacific cuntries in 2013, and ver 95 millin migrants frm Asia-Pacific cuntries (UN-DESA, 2013) Main driver f migratin in Asia and the Pacific: temprary migratin fr lw-skill wrk Migrants frm Suth/Suth-west Asian cuntries, Philippines and Indnesia in il-prducing Middle East cuntries (e.g. UAE, Saudi Arabia) Migrants frm Sutheast Asian cuntries in Malaysia, Singapre and Thailand Migrants frm Central Asia: Russian Federatin and Kazakhstan Mst f these migrants were Suth-Suth migrants; many are als in an irregular situatin Migratin is a grwing structural trend in Asia and the Pacific with imprtant cnsequences fr sustainable develpment

5 Ecnmic impacts f migratin in cuntries f destinatin Migrants add value t cuntries f destinatin Hwever, they may als have negative impacts In bth cases, impact is generally relatively small Plicy is key in determining the utcmes f migratin

6 Ecnmic impacts f migratin in cuntries f destinatin Psitive impacts include: Increased GDP: Remving migrants frm Thailand wuld reduce GDP by 0.75% Increased verall prductivity Increasing verall emplyment Increase f 10 migrant wrkers leads t 4.1 new jbs fr Malaysian wrkers Migrants als filled psitins enabling Malaysian wrkers t mve up int higherprductivity jbs Negative impacts: Sme rle in depressing wages, especially fr lwest-skill natinal wrkers in sectrs such as agriculture Sme evidence that lw-skill migrants are used as a substitute fr investment in technlgy Benefits primarily accrue t emplyers Hwever: the negative impact f migratin and migrants is marginal, and a functin f verall ecnmic plicies and trends

7 Impacts in cuntries f rigin Recruitment Migratin enables peple t access jbs with higher pay Ptential benefit if they wuld have been unemplyed/underemplyed Brain drain risk Csts f recruitment ften high, undermining psitive benefits Remittances Return Particular imprtance f remittance inflws Regin received almst US$280 billin in 2014 Remittances make up a significant prprtin f GDP in several cuntries (e.g. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tnga, Armenia, Sama) Decrease pverty amng recipients Bst lcal ecnmies thrugh cnsumptin and investment Hwever, csts f sending in many cases remain high Risk f Dutch disease Migrants can return with new skills, capitals and netwrks Others becme transnatinal, mving between cuntries f rigin and destinatin Hwever, thers may nt return, r return nly t retire

8 Strengthening migrants as agents f develpment Decent wrk benefits migrants and natinal wrkers alike Increases prductivity Prevents race t the bttm Scial prtectin als benefits migrants and natinals Investment in raised prductivity Investments in migrant health an investment in verall public health Recruitment needs t be regulated Lwer fees Ensure cntractual prtectin Civil sciety, including trade unins, can supprt migrants prtectin and empwerment Transnatinal cmmunities can help migrants navigate new cntexts, and rganize develpment activities

9 Making migratin wrk fr develpment Internatinal human rights/labur cnventins prvide framewrk fr treatment f migrants Sustainable Develpment Gals include explicit references t migratin: Target 8.8: Prtect labur rights and prmte safe and secure wrking envirnments fr all wrkers, including migrant wrkers, in particular wmen migrants, and thse in precarius emplyment Target 10.7: Facilitate rderly, safe, regular and respnsible migratin and mbility f peple, including thrugh the implementatin f planned and well-managed migratin plicies Means f implementatin 10.c: By 2030, reduce t less than 3 per cent the transactin csts f migrant remittances and eliminate remittance crridrs with csts higher than 5 per cent

10 Reginal cperatin Subreginal rganizatins cperating n migratin Mst-develped: Eurasian Ecnmic Unin freedm f mvement, residence and emplyment n equal terms with natinals Onging develpment: ASEAN declaratin and dialgue n rights f migrants, and freedm f mvement fr skilled wrkers But mre can be dne Reginal dialgue als a frum fr prmising initiatives (e.g. Clmb Prcess, Abu Dhabi Dialgue, Bali Prcess)

11 Bilateral cperatin and natinal plicies Mst agreements n migratin are bilateral Memranda f Understanding Fcused n prcedures fr labur migratin Prtective measures ften weak Lack f fllw-up Few cuntries have natinal plicies n migratin t guide crdinated migratin respnses

12 Cnclusins Migratin plicies shuld align with natinal develpment pririties, labur market needs and human rights Cuntries f rigin shuld address: Recruitment Prtectin f migrants abrad Supprt fr returning migrants Cuntries f destinatin shuld address: Empwerment and prtectin f migrants Perceptins f migratin Upskilling f migrants Stepped-up reginal and bilateral cperatin can als imprve develpment utcmes f migratin

13 Final wrd The scale f migratin is nly likely t increase in Asia and the Pacific. The utcme f this trend is in the hands f the cuntries f the regin. Business-as-usual risks heightening inequality, hlding back advances in prductivity, and facilitating human rights abuses. Psitive utcmes require plicies aligned with natinal develpment strategies and internatinal standards prmting fair recruitment, decent and prductive emplyment and scial prtectin.

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