ADB urges Asia to craft policies for migrant workers

MANILA, Philippines — As workers return overseas for employment, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is urging governments in Asia to implement policies that ensure the safe and orderly migration of workers  given their role in development.

In the multilateral lender’s blog, ADB economists Aiko Kikkawa and Raymond Gaspar said it is critical to have policies in place that support overseas workers from Asia as their deployment is slowly getting back on track after dropping due to the COVID-19  pandemic during the first quarter of 2020.

“International labor migration is an important driver of development in Asia. To support it after the pandemic, policies are needed that are not just reactive but integrated into national development strategies,” they said.

The ADB economists said among the countries seeing upward labor migration trends are the Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, although still far from the pre-pandemic numbers.

Some countries, meanwhile, are seeing migrant worker departures that are exceeding pre-pandemic levels such as Nepal and Bangladesh.

Citing ADB’s recent survey on deployment and outlook on labor migration, the economists said.

Six of the nine participating government representatives are expecting higher levels of overseas employment for this year compared to 2019, with the easing of quarantine protocols.

Aside from the easing of mobility restrictions and border controls imposed due to the pandemic, the economists said the return of economic activities in host countries is driving labor demand in certain sectors such as services and construction.

“While the deployment trend and the positive outlook seemingly indicate a steady return to normalcy, it is important to note that the pandemic has posed immediate and lasting impacts on overseas employment administration that requires policies to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration,” the ADB economists said.

The ADB survey found an increase in migration and travel costs amid the additional layers of health and safety protocols, with the costs, along with the COVID-19 tests and insurance and quarantine services, usually borne by the migrant workers.

“As a way forward, employment contracts should indicate that the initial costs of migration be covered by the employers and that they would also include related emergency clauses clearly stipulating that employer and/or the countries of origin and destinations coordinate to cover such costs,” the ADB economists said.

They also cited the need for stronger collaboration between the governments of countries  sending workers and host economies for better and safe migration of Asian workers.

The ADB economists said bilateral and regional labor agreements are encouraged to include provisions for pandemic and other disasters that identify the responsibilities of host or origin countries, intermediaries, employers, and migrant workers.