GENEVA (ILO News) – The number of international migrant workers globally has risen to 169 million, a rise of three per cent since 2017, according to the latest estimates from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The share of youth migrant workers (aged 15-24) has also increased, by almost 2 percent, or 3.2 million, since 2017. Their number reached 16.8 million in 2019. The new report, ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers: Results and Methodology, shows that in 2019, international migrant workers constituted nearly five percent of the global labour force, making them an integral part of the world economy.
Yet many migrant workers are often in temporary, informal or unprotected jobs, which expose them to a greater risk of insecurity, layoffs and worsening working conditions. The COVID-19 crisis has intensified these vulnerabilities, particularly for women migrant workers, as they are over-represented in low-paid and low-skilled jobs and have limited access to social protection and fewer options for support services.