Policy Press
7 Pandemic Perils of Migrant Workers
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Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has thrown into relief the position of migrant workers as “second class citizens,” a colloquialism loosely used to connote segments of a populace who simultaneously belong and do not belong. The strange dichotomy of citizen and non-citizen ignores contributions legal migrants make, such as leadership of corporations and nonprofit organizations, scientific and academic research, and athletics. Despite often possessing burgeoning bank accounts, migrants feel that their statuses within a foreign society are lower by virtue of their nationality, ethnicity, skin color, and other factors. Many experience lower socioeconomic statuses and are subject to poor working conditions in an exploitative political economy. The COVID-19 crisis has put migrants’ lives into disarray and exposed rampant institutional inequalities that contribute to their vulnerability.
A “migrant worker” may be defined as a person who is to be, or is or has been, engaged in a remunerated activity in a state of which he or she is not a national. The term “migrant worker” will be used broadly to denote international migrants (those who have moved between countries) and internal migrants (those who move between states of the same country), as well as return migrants (those who may be seasonal workers or have lost employment and have returned to their home). Migration trends typically involve workers moving from a lower income to higher income country to plug talent gaps by providing skilled labor or to engage in unskilled labor, which local populations sometimes find demeaning work.
Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has thrown into relief the position of migrant workers as “second class citizens,” a colloquialism loosely used to connote segments of a populace who simultaneously belong and do not belong. The strange dichotomy of citizen and non-citizen ignores contributions legal migrants make, such as leadership of corporations and nonprofit organizations, scientific and academic research, and athletics. Despite often possessing burgeoning bank accounts, migrants feel that their statuses within a foreign society are lower by virtue of their nationality, ethnicity, skin color, and other factors. Many experience lower socioeconomic statuses and are subject to poor working conditions in an exploitative political economy. The COVID-19 crisis has put migrants’ lives into disarray and exposed rampant institutional inequalities that contribute to their vulnerability.
A “migrant worker” may be defined as a person who is to be, or is or has been, engaged in a remunerated activity in a state of which he or she is not a national. The term “migrant worker” will be used broadly to denote international migrants (those who have moved between countries) and internal migrants (those who move between states of the same country), as well as return migrants (those who may be seasonal workers or have lost employment and have returned to their home). Migration trends typically involve workers moving from a lower income to higher income country to plug talent gaps by providing skilled labor or to engage in unskilled labor, which local populations sometimes find demeaning work.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgments v
- Presidential Welcome vii
- Editorial Introduction 1
- Isolation, Economic Desperation, and Exploitation 5
- Uncertainty and Disruption in the Transition to Adulthood during COVID-19 15
- Disability Rights and Healthcare Rationing during COVID-19 27
- Social-Distancing the Settler-State 39
- The Pandemic and the Invisible Poor of the Global South 51
- The Human Right to Water and Sanitation in the Age of COVID-19 61
- Pandemic Perils of Migrant Workers 73
- Food Insecurity and COVID-19 87
- Protecting Refugee Health and Human Rights in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic 99
- COVID-19 Requires an Intersectional Feminist Policy Response 111
- Think Piece 123
- Afterword 133
- Index 143
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgments v
- Presidential Welcome vii
- Editorial Introduction 1
- Isolation, Economic Desperation, and Exploitation 5
- Uncertainty and Disruption in the Transition to Adulthood during COVID-19 15
- Disability Rights and Healthcare Rationing during COVID-19 27
- Social-Distancing the Settler-State 39
- The Pandemic and the Invisible Poor of the Global South 51
- The Human Right to Water and Sanitation in the Age of COVID-19 61
- Pandemic Perils of Migrant Workers 73
- Food Insecurity and COVID-19 87
- Protecting Refugee Health and Human Rights in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic 99
- COVID-19 Requires an Intersectional Feminist Policy Response 111
- Think Piece 123
- Afterword 133
- Index 143
