Asia absorbs more migrant workers than before : ILO

Busan, South Korea (ANTARA News) - Asia is absorbing more migrant workers within the region than ever before, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said in a report to its regional meeting here Tuesday.

Some 40 percent of up to 2.9 million Asian migrant workers found jobs in
other countries but still in the region between 1995 and 2000, the report
said as reported by AFP.

That compared with the 1970s and 1980s when more than 90 percent of the
Asian migrant workforce left the region in search of jobs, it added.

"The increasingly intra-regional migration reflects both demographic trends and the increasing integration of the economies of Asia-Pacific," it said.

In Asia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and
Thailand are largely attracting migrants -- primarily from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it said.

The ILO estimated the total amount of money remitted home by Asian migrant workers at 40 billion dollars in 2003.

In 2004, India alone had some 23 billion dollars -- accounting for 3.1
percent of its gross national product -- remitted by its workers overseas. The Philippines came next with eight bilion dollars, it said.

Despite its financial benefits from the growing mobility of labor across
borders in the region, the ILO warned migrant workers remained vulnerable to exploitation and abuses. (*)

August 29, 2006