MODULE 8

• Foreign worker


  Somebody who comes from a different country to work in a host country
• Foreign labour was needed in jobs that were lowly-valued by the local people
• As the rich countries progressed economically, there was an upward mobility in classes and jobs chosen by the local people while lesser important jobs could be taken up by people coming from the developing world in quest for better living in Europe or America where "the grass looked to be greener"
• England, France, Spain or Portugal, the latter to a lesser extent, are now in dire difficulties with slow economic growth, high levels of unemployment and a more fragile social structure with regards to the threat of terrorism
• England and France were among the first nations to start thinking critically of immigration by restricting entry to foreigner following campaigns made by opposition parties that rallied with the dissatisfaction expressed by local people in terms of employment opportunities
• Immigration has become an issue of contest in Europe or in the United States where the entry of foreign people poses a problem
• The USA offers a "green card" to attract people while Europe is more in favour of selective immigration as a means of attracting talented labour and not unskilled labour
• This conversely affects the developing nations where there is a brain of talented labour who are more economically better off in their new country compared to their homeland
• Foreign labours can be both a necessity and evil
• Right-winged groups like the Front National in France and similar ones throughout Europe may go against immigration but this might be needed
• Some European nations like Germany or Italy have a growing ageing population and foreign labour is needed and adds to diversity in terms of talent and skills that could be needed in Europe
• An argument could be how to effectively manage foreign labour and not think of exploiting it for meager salaries and indecent work conditions
• Migrant workers


  People from poorer nations who leave their home country to work in richer environment
• Migrant workers are considered an economic utility, especially for secondary labour markets such as that of long-term care
• The dynamics of migrant workers across the globe are governed by interacting macro, state level, micro, personal level, factors
• On the macro level immigration policies, historical and current political and economic links between countries play a crucial part in such dynamics
• There is also a reversal in worker movement where top managers from the rich countries might in turn move to the emerging economies
• Immigration


  The movement of people from their homeland to a host country
• People leave home in search of a better life for themselves as well as for their families back home
• As integral components for global development, migrants not just further the host country's economic prosperity but also promote technological growth
• Developing countries are home to more than one-third of the immigrants in the world
• The International Organization for Migration recorded the number to be around 285 million in 2017 alone
• While immigration benefits those moving abroad, it also offers advantages to the host country
• Immigrants spend money locally on housing, food, healthcare and leisure activities
• Immigration surplus


  The boost to the host country's economy from immigrants expanding the workforce
• By expanding the workforce, immigrants increase the level of output, which is one of the main drivers of economic growth
• As immigrants are not bound to a particular part of the host country, they are free to move and take up jobs wherever the need is greatest
• By facilitating legal entry into the country, host nations can reap benefits from the economic growth of immigration
• Immigrants also send money home in the form of inward remittances, which in turn stabilizes the economic scenario of their home country
• Immigrants help rebalance demographics by providing younger workers to support an aging population
• In the 1950s, when the birth rate in the US fell, a healthy influx of immigrants balanced out the demographics for the aging population
• Immigrants worked to sustain the economy, paid taxes, and mitigated the problem of the imbalanced demographic chart
• Immigrants bring with them skills that may be missing from the local economy, powering innovation which is a crucial driver of growth
• More than half of US startups valued at $1 billion and above were founded by at least one immigrant
• Immigrants are essential members of management and product teams at 70% of these startups, filling positions like CTO or VP of Engineering
• The richest countries in the world are those that have the power to provide a hospitable environment for immigrants
• 25 of the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world have recorded an average of 22.5 % immigrant-born population
• Skilled migrants contribute to the host economy through inward remittances and bring additional abilities to boost innovation and research
• 30 million of these immigrants are highly educated individuals that harmonize skill levels in their host countries
• Cultural diversification


  The contribution to diversity of ways of thinking, knowledge, and ideas, from employing foreign workers