Venezuelans at the migration service in Peru. Photo from the archive ILO: International migrant workers contribute to economic development Refugees and migrants
International migrants play a crucial role in the global economy, making up 4.7 percent of the world’s labor force in 2022. Most of them are employed in high-income countries and in key economic sectors such as services, in particular care services, according to a new report from the International Labor Organization (ILO).
According to the report, there were 167.7 million international migrants in countries around the world in 2022. Of these, 102.7 million were men and 64.9 million were women. This is more than 30 million more than in 2013, with most of the increase occurring between 2013 and 2019.
Most migrant workers are concentrated in high-income countries, which accounted for 68.4 percent of the total (114.7 million), while 17.4 percent (29.2 million) were in upper-middle-income countries.
Regional distribution
Most migrant workers lived in Northern, Southern and Western Europe, North America and the Arab States. The share of migrants in the labour force in Northern, Southern and Western Europe increased from 22.5 percent in 2013 to 23.3 percent in 2022. At the same time, the share of migrants in the labour force in North America and the Arab States decreased slightly.
Labour market integration
Of the 167.7 million migrants in the labour force in 2022, 155.6 million were employed and 12.1 million were unemployed. However, significant gender differences remained: the employment rate among female migrants was only 48.1 percent, while among male migrants it was 72.8 percent.
Unemployment rates are higher among migrants (7.2 percent) than among non-migrants (5.2 percent), with female migrants (8.7 percent) experiencing higher unemployment rates than male migrants (6.2 percent). This disparity may be due to factors such as language barriers, unrecognized skills, discrimination, limited childcare options, and gender expectations that make it difficult for women to find work.
The Importance of Services and Care Work
The largest share of migrants – 68.4 percent – are employed in the services sector, compared with 51.5 percent of non-migrants. This trend reflects the high global demand for care and domestic work, particularly among women. Thus, 28.8 percent of migrant women and 12.4 percent of migrant men are employed in care work, compared to 19.2 percent of women and 6.2 percent of men among non-migrants.
Support for migrant workers
The report emphasizes the need for targeted policies to support international migrant workers. This includes expanding their opportunities to work in decent conditions and strengthening measures to protect them. With most migrants employed in high-demand sectors of the economy, ensuring equal access to employment opportunities to promote sustainable development and an inclusive labour market is a policy priority, the report says.
“Migrant workers are indispensable in addressing global labour shortages and contributing to economic growth,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. “Protecting their rights and access to decent work is not only a moral imperative, but also an economic necessity.”