The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT) reports on the latest statistics on international migrant workers and their role in the care industry based on the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 4th edition of global estimates of international labour migration.
Key Points
1. 4.7% of Global Labor Force are International Migrant Workers
- Number of international migrant workers reached 176 million in 2024, accounting for 4.7% of the global labor force
- Increased by 27 million from 149 million in the 3rd edition (2019), confirming expansion trend
- Labor force participation rate of 72.2% for migrants significantly exceeds 63.3% for non-migrants
- 97.6% work in destination countries, with remaining 2.4% being cross-border/seasonal workers
2. Employment Concentrated in High-Income Countries
- 71.6% of international migrant workers (125.6 million) concentrated in high-income countries
- High-income countries depend on migrant workers for 19.8% of their labor force
- Upper-middle-income countries: 16.5%, lower-middle-income: 10.2%, low-income countries: only 1.7%
- Economic opportunity disparities driving concentration in developed nations
3. Gender Composition and Regional Distribution
- Male workers at 106.8 million (60.7%), female workers at 69.2 million (39.3%) showing male predominance
- Female ratio increasing from 41.4% (2013) to 42.3% (2019) to current 39.3%
- By region: Americas 26.2%, Europe/Central Asia/North America 22.2%, Arab States 14.0%
- Asia-Pacific has highest absolute numbers at 41.3 million, but only 2.2% of regional labor force
4. Industrial Distribution and Emerging Role in Care Sector
- Services sector dominates at 70.2%, within which health/care work accounts for 14.4%
- Industry sector: 21.1%, agriculture sector: 7.9%, showing concentration in services
- Migrant workers comprise 17.0% of all care workers globally, with developed countries showing over 30%
- Meeting care demand in aging societies through international labor mobility
5. Policy Implications and International Cooperation Necessity
- Global care demand expected to reach 279 million workers by 2030
- Without migrant workers, care worker shortage would reach 14 million
- Need for international frameworks ensuring labor rights protection and fair working conditions
- Importance of skills recognition and social security portability systems
The article concludes that international migrant workers have become indispensable for the global economy and care systems, requiring construction of sustainable international labor mobility frameworks.