New Report Highlights Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing Societies
Population ageing may present serious challenges to developed
Western nations, particularly with respect to the care needed for a
growing number of older people, according to a newly released
report in the IOM Migration Research Series.
"The Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing Societies: Report on
Research Findings in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the
United States," finds that while migrant caregivers play an
increasingly significant role in all four of the countries surveyed
due to the shift towards older populations and declining domestic
labour supplies, little is known about this workforce.
The report is a synthesis of research conducted by the Institute
for the Study of International Migration (Georgetown University),
the Community Health Research Unit (University of Ottawa), the
Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (National University of Ireland
Galway) and the Centre on Migration, Policy & Society
(University of Oxford).
The combined multi-year project data collected from migrant care
workers, care providers, and older adult care users in the four
countries highlights the overall lack of prioritization for
provision of elderly care in the four countries.
Links
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title="">MRS N°41 - The Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing
Societies: Report on Research Findings in the United Kingdom,
Ireland, Canada and the United States
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target="_blank" title="">Individual Reports: The Role of Migrant
Health and Social Care Workers in Ageing Societies
The report also shows that the main challenges raised by the
demand for migrant labour are related to the larger issues of an
underfunded system of care provision, and an often-underpaid sector
of employment. Increasing reliance on migrant care workers is a
symptom of these challenges with the report concluding that
migrants, while making important contributions, are not the
solution to these structural deficiencies.
Care industry dynamics, including an overall trend towards
cost-cutting and deregulation, coupled with low wages and
unfavourable employment conditions, underline an inability to
attract native-born employees and the related need to address
working conditions in the industry overall and specifically for
migrant labourers.
The report notes that immigration policies in the four countries
studied potentially contributed to poor work conditions in the care
industry through such measures as tying temporary work visas to
sponsoring employers.
However, a high percentage of migrants in lesser-skilled and
lower-paid care occupations across all four nations studied suggest
that many migrant care givers enter outside of labour migration
channels. The United States stands out with about one-fifth of its
direct/social care workforce estimated to be unauthorized. Of the
cases studied, only Canada specifically recruits migrant care giver
talent through a temporary labour programme.
Elderly care beneficiaries and their migrant care givers
surveyed recognized their relationship as an important one and the
report recommends attention be given to facilitating these
relationships through policy prioritization and reform.
The country studies found that most employers consider migrants
to be hard-working, compassionate employees who are reliable and
responsible caregivers. However, employers, caregivers and care
users, all noted as well that language and communication issues
present challenges to employing migrant caregivers.
While research findings did not provide overall quantitative
evidence of discrimination in the employment of migrant workers,
some workers reported discrimination in relation to wages and
working conditions.
The report points to a few key recommendations for addressing
the increasing significance of elder care in developed Western
nations and its implications for migrant labour.
More attention is required regarding recruitment, skill
requirements, admissions, mobility, and residency issues to ensure
a qualified labour force. The migrant caregiver experience must
also be addressed in terms of the attitudes and expectations of
employers and clients, the training required for foreign-born
workers, and the discrimination experienced in some segments of the
sector.
Employment policies should seek to reinforce the quality of
employment in the sector in general according to the report,
through training, regulations on earnings and working conditions,
or other means. Support for language and cultural sensitivity
training would benefit the quality of care as well.
Finally, the report notes that migrant admission policies may
require genuine reform to ensure consistency with elderly care
policymaking, and recommends that employer demand be closely
monitored.
The full report can be downloaded from IOM's Online Bookstore
at:
"http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_3&products_id=669&zenid=e48e05e5861837cd08a0c491be956575"
target="" title=
"">http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_3&products_id=669&zenid=e48e05e5861837cd08a0c491be956575
For more information on the project "The Role of Migrant Health
and Social Care Workers in Ageing Societies" and to download
individual country reports for Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom
and the United States, please see:
"paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/research/labourmarket/migrantcareworkers/"
target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/research/labourmarket/migrantcareworkers/.
For more information contact:
Frank Laczko
International Organization for Migration
Tel: +41 22 717 9416
E-mail:
"mailto:flaczko@iom.int">flaczko@iom.int
or
Lindsay Lowell
Georgetown University
E-mail:
"mailto:lowellbl@georgetown.edu">lowellbl@georgetown.edu