Tackling Migration Challenges in the Wake of Recessions
Lessons learned from the 2008-2009 global economic crisis and its
impact on migration will be discussed at an international gathering
next week in Geneva aimed at identifying policies that will
effectively address migration challenges stemming from future
economic crises.
In the second of IOM's International Dialogue on Migration to be
held this year, representatives from IOM member states, observers,
international organizations and civil society will gather on 12-13
September at the International Conference Centre Geneva to focus on
the links between Economic Cycles, Demographic Change and
Migration.
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Demographic Change and Migration
The gathering, to be opened by IOM Deputy Director General Laura
Thompson, aims to identify ways to reconcile these dynamics to
better help countries struggling with the question of how to better
manage migration through periods of boom and bust.
This latest economic crisis has in particular drawn attention to
the impact on migration and migrants in both countries of origin
and destination. These have ranged from the knee-jerk adoption of
short-term migration policies in some countries, a return flow of
migrants home, a drop in the flow of remittances, especially high
levels of unemployment among migrants and a hardening of public
attitudes towards migrants in host countries.
Although migrants in some sectors of the economy such as
agriculture and construction were the hardest hit by the economic
crisis, other sectors such as health have remained relatively
unscathed or have even flourished. This underlines the fact that
migrants play an important role in helping economies and societies
out of a recession, particularly in countries faced with ageing and
shrinking workforces.
Nevertheless, some of the limitations to defining policies lie
in the uncertainty of short and medium term labour market
projections, the time lag between economic recession or recovery
and any reaction in migration flows and the varying demographic
realities faced by individual countries or regions and their role
on labour migration.
Despite a temporary dip in migration flows during the height of
the global economic crisis, labour mobility is expected to resume
worldwide and even to exceed prior levels as demographic
disparities between origin and destination countries widen. Now
more than ever, there is a need to better match labour supply and
demand at both regional and global levels.
For background papers, agenda and the list of speakers taking
part in the International Dialogue on Migration, please go to:
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"http://www.iom.int/idmeconomiccycles">http://www.iom.int/idmeconomiccycles
For further information, please contact:
Jean-Philippe Chauzy
IOM Geneva
Tel: +41 22 717 93 61 or +41 79 285 43 66
E-mail
"mailto:jpchauzy@iom.int">jpchauzy@iom.int