Republic of the Philippines

AURORA STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Baler, Aurora

As a nation we have the right to decide our own affairs, to mould our own future. This
does not pose any danger to anybody. Our nation is fully aware of the responsibility for
its own fate in the complicated situation of the contemporary world.

Lech Walesa
 Republic of the Philippines
AURORA STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Baler, Aurora
MODULE 13 GLOBAL MIGRATION
“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity.”
Pope Francis

Specific Lesson Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. understand the concept of global migration as an international phenomenon;
2. learn the importance of global migration to the Sustainable Development Goals;
3. determine the categories and examples of migrants; and
4. identify the main drivers of migration.

DISCUSSION:

WHAT IS MIGRATION?
There are two types of migration: internal migration, which refers to people moving from one
area to another within one country, and international migration, in which people cross borders
of one country to another. The latter can be further broken down into five groups, namely:
1. Immigrants who move permanently to another country.
2. Workers who stay in another country for a fixed period (at least six months in a year).
3. Illegal migrants (e.g. TNT (Tago ng Tago).
4. Migrants whose families have petitioned them to move to the destination country.
5. Refugees (also known as the asylum-seekers), i.e., those “unable or unwilling to return
because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality,
membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Demographers estimate that 247
million people live outside their birth countries, while the remaining 10% are refugees and
asylum-seekers. The top three regions of origin are Latin America (18% of global total),
followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia (16%), and the Middle East and North America
(14%). On a country per basis, India, Mexico, and China are leading, with the Philippines and
Afghanistan, only ranking 6th in the world. The top 10 country destinations of these migrants
are mainly in the West and the Middle East, with the US topping the list. Fifty percent of
global migrants have moved from the developing countries to the developed zones of the
world and contribute anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of their labor force. Their growth has
outstripped the population growth in developed countries. According to the think-tank
McKinsey Global Institute, first-generation migrants constitute 13% of the population in
Western Europe, 15% in North America, and 48% in the GCC countries. The majority of the
migrants remain in the cities. The percentages in cities are 92% in the USA, 95% in the UK,
and 99% in Australia. Once settled, they contribute enormously to raising the productivity of
their host countries.
 Republic of the Philippines
AURORA STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Baler, Aurora

Table 1. Migrant Contribution to Destination Country, in dollars and as percentage of

national GDP, (2015)

The migrant influx has led to a debate in destination countries over the issue of whether
migrants are assets or liabilities to national development. Anti-immigrant groups and
nationalists argue that the government must control legal immigration and stop the illegal
entry of foreigners. Many anti-immigrant groups are gaining political influence through
political leaders who share their beliefs. Examples include US President Donald Trump and
UK Prime Minister Theresa May, reversing their states' existing pro-immigration and
refugee-sympathetic policies. Mostly, Trump attempted to ban travel into the United States of
people from majority-Muslim countries. Even those with proper documentation. He also
speaks about his election promise of building a wall between the United States and Mexico.
The data have consistently belied the wisdom of these government actions. A 2011 Harvard
Business School survey on the impact of immigration concluded that the “likelihood and
magnitude of adverse labor market effects for the native from immigration are substantially
weaker than often perceived.” The fiscal impact of immigration on social welfare was noted
to be “very small.” Furthermore, the 2013 report on government welfare spending by
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) clearly shows that
native-born citizens still receive a higher support than immigrants. The massive inflow of
refugees from Syria and Iraq has raised alarm bells again but has not proved to be as
damaging as expected. The International Monetary Fund predicted that the flow of refugees
fleeing the war in Syria and Iraq would grow Europe’s GDP, albeit modestly. In Germany,
the inflow of refugees from the Middle East has not affected social welfare programs and had
minimal impact on wages and employment. They have brought much-needed labor to the
economy instead.

BENEFITS AND DETRIMENTS FOR THE SENDING COUNTRIES

Even if 90% of the value generated by migrant workers remains in their host countries, they
have sent billions back to their home countries (in 2014, their remittances totaled $580
billion). In 2014, India held the highest recorded remittance ($70 billion), followed by China
($62 billion), the Philippines ($28 billion), and Mexico (R$25 billion). These remittances
make significant contributions to the development of small and medium-term industries that
help generate jobs. Remittances likewise change the economic and social standing of
migrants, as shown by new and renovated homes and their relatives’ access to new consumer
goods. The purchasing power of a migrant’s family doubles and makes it possible for
children to start or continue their schooling. Yet, there remain serious concerns about the
economic sustainability of those reliant on migrant monies. The Asian Development Bank
(ADB) observes that remittances “do not have significant influence on other key items of
consumption or investment such as spending on education and health care in countries like
the Philippines.” Remittances, therefore, may help in lifting “households out of poverty…but
 Republic of the Philippines
AURORA STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Baler, Aurora
not in rebalancing growth, especially in the long run.” More importantly, global migration is
“siphoning qualified personnel, (and) removing dynamic young workers.” This process has
often been referred to as “brain drain.” According to the McKinsey Global Institute, countries
in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia have lost one-third of their college graduates. Sixty percent of
those who moved to OECD destinations were college graduates compared to just 9% of the
overall population in the country. Fifty-two percent of Filipinos who leave for work in the
developed world have tertiary education, more than double the 23% of the Filipino
population. Furthermore, the loss of professionals in specific vital roles, such as doctors, has
been detrimental to the migrant’s home countries. In 2006, some 15% of locally trained
doctors from 21 sub-Saharan African countries had emigrated to the United States (where
43% of doctors left), Ghana (30%), and Uganda (20%). Governments are aware of this long-
term handicap but have no choice but to continue promoting migrant work as part of the state
policy because of the remittance’s impact on GDP. They are equally “concerned with
generating jobs for an under-utilized workforce and in getting the maximum possible inflow
of worker remittances.” Governments are thus actively involved in the recruitment and
deployment of works, setting up special departments like Bureau of Manpower, Employment
and Training in Bangladesh; the Office of the Protector of Emigrants within the Indian Labor
of Ministry; and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA). The sustainability of
migrant-dependent economies will partially depend on the strength of these institutions.

THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

On top of brain drain, sending states must likewise protect migrant workers. The United
States Federal Bureau of Investigation lists human trafficking as the third-largest criminal
activity worldwide. In 2012, the International Labor Organization (ILO) identified 21 million
men, women, and children as victims of “forced labor,” an appalling three out of every 1,000
persons worldwide. Private enterprises and entrepreneurs exploit ninety percent of the victims
(18.7 million); 22 percent (4.5 million) are sexually abused; and 68 percent (14.2 million)
work under compulsion in agricultural, manufacturing, infrastructure, and domestic activities.
Human trafficking has been very profitable, earning syndicates, smugglers, and corrupt state
officials profits of as high as $150 billion a year in 2014. Governments, the private sector,
and civil society groups have worked together to combat human trafficking, yet the results
remain uneven.

INTEGRATION
A final issue relates to how migrants interact in their new home countries. They may
contribute significantly to a host nation’s GDP, but access to housing, healthcare, and
education is not easy. There is, of course, considerable variation in the economic integration
of migrants. Migrants from China, India, and Western Europe often succeed, while those
from the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa face greater challenges in
securing jobs. In the USA and Singapore, there are blue-collar and white-collar Filipino
workers (doctors, engineers, even corporate executives). The professional, white-collar
workers have often been easier to integrate. Democratic states assimilate immigrants and
their children by granting them citizenship and the rights that go with it (especially public
education). However, without solid support from their citizens, switching citizenship may just
be a formality. Linguistic difficulties, customs from the old country, and of late, differing
religions may create cleavages between migrants and citizens of the receiving countries,
particularly in the West. The latter accuse migrants of bringing in the culture from their home
countries and amplifying differences in linguistic and ethnic customs. Crucially, the lack of
integration gives xenophobic and anti-immigrant groups more ammunition to argue that these
 Republic of the Philippines
AURORA STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Baler, Aurora
new citizens are often not nationals (in the sense of sharing the dominant culture). Migrants
unwittingly reinforce tension by “keeping among themselves.” The first time migrant’s
anxiety at coming into a new and often strange place is mitigated by “local networks of
fellow citizens that serve as the migrant’s safety net from the dislocation of uprooting
oneself. For instance, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of California
provides initial support for new Chinese migrants, guiding them in finding work or setting up
their small businesses (restaurants and laundromats) in the state and elsewhere. The drawback
of these networks is that they exacerbate differences and discrimination instead of facilitating
integration.