Each year millions of women and men leave their homes and cross national borders in search of greater security for themselves and their families. “Throughout human history, migration has been a courageous expression of the individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life” (UN, 2006, p. 5). Many migrants are motivated by the quest for higher wages and better opportunities, responding to the demand for their skills abroad, but many others are forced to migrate because of famine, natural disasters, violent conflict, persecution or simply a lack of decent work in their home country. The Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) describes the driving forces in international migration in terms of “3Ds”: development, demography and democracy (GCIM, 2005). Widening disparities in income, wealth, human rights and security across countries serve as push factors towards migration. Migration in search of work has increasingly become a livelihood strategy for both women and men because of the lack of opportunities for full employment and decent work in many developing countries. At the same time, the proliferation of skill-intensive economic sectors, increased demand for skilled workers, reluctance of local workers to accept certain low-skilled jobs, and demographic trends such as population decline and population ageing in major destination countries act as strong pull factors. A growing number of nations are involved with migration as countries of origin, destination or transit, or all three. The majority of migrants move in search of employment, taking their families with them; it is estimated that there will be 214 million international migrants in the world in 2010 (UNPD, 2009). Almost half of international migrants are women, most of whom are now migrating on their own, rather than primarily as family members of other migrants. The International Labour Office estimates that economically active migrants will number some 105.4 million in 2010; these and family members accompanying them will account for almost 90 per cent of total international migrants. Only about 7–8 per cent of migrants are refugees or asylum seekers, and some of these persons are employed. The International Labour Organization (ILO)1 approaches migration from a labour market and decent work perspective within the overarching framework of its Decent Work for All agenda (ILO, 2007a).
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Publisher:
ILO
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(2010
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Type / Script:
Publication
in English
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Keywords:
LABOUR, LABOUR LAW, LABOUR RELATIONS, MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, MIGRANT WORKER, RETURN MIGRATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, MIGRANT WORKERS, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, SOCIAL SECURITY, IMMIGRATION LAW, EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION, WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS, FORCED LABOUR
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Thematic Group: ILO
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International Labor & Labor
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Thesaurus:
12.04.00
- Labour Relations
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Reference Link:
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