1 Building the Knowledge base on migration data : Migration Data and statistics – A global challenge Miriam Boudraa, Social Protection Programme International Training Centre of the ILO

2 Contents 1.Why should we monitor migration? 2.What should we look at? 3.Where should we look? 4.Recommendations

3 WHY A DATA COLLECTION?  Essential for producing statistical report  Essential for providing supporting information for policy-making and planning

4 1. Why should we monitor migration?  Internal or rural-urban migration  Globalization and migration  Irregular migration  Discrimination against migrant workers  Skilled labour migration  Female migrants and domestic workers  Trafficking of women and children  Rights of migrant workers

5 Policy purposes 1. Development objectives  reduce unemployment  generate foreign exchange  increase savings rate Manual on Sending Workers Abroad, ILO, 1997, Manolo Abella

6 Policy purposes 2. Social objectives  increase social returns on investment in education  improve the wages and conditions of employment for nationals working abroad  reduce the cost of emigration by curbing recruitment abuses  provide safety nets for migrants and their families

7 Policy purposes 3. Strategic objective  stop undocumented migration and make migration processes more orderly  expand and diversify countries of employment  influence the skill composition of migrant workers  minimize possible dislocation of domestic industries due to loss of skilled labour  reduce possible wage distortions

8 Information is key  Information is needed for better functioning of government administration and labour markets.  It can be used to formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate policies for migration.

9 2. What should we look at?  Qualitative and quantitative information  Stocks and flows

10 The many faces of migration  Temporary labour migrants  People who migrate for a limited period of time to take up employment  Highly skilled and business migrants  people with qualifications (e.g. 2 years university for the US)  Irregular migrants  people who enter a country, usually in search of employment, without the necessary documents and permits  Forced migration  refugees and asylum seekers and other people forced to move due e.g. to environmental factors or development projects  Return migrants  people who return to their own countries  International or internal migration

11 Defining a migrant  citizenship  often defines a person’s rights in a country  residence  probably most used criterion  time or duration of stay  although can be more or less concrete  purpose of stay  economic activity, study, fleeing persecution, family reunion, training….  place of birth  widely used: can help identify both international and internal migration “any person who lives temporarily or permanently in a country where s/he is not born” (UNCRM)

12 Defining a migrant worker  “a person who is to be engaged, is engaged or has been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which s/he is not a national” (UNCRM)  “a person who migrates or who has migrated from one country to another with a view to being employed otherwise than on his own account” (ILO Convention N.143) ……

13 Qualitative versus quantitative  Qualitative information  conventions, laws, rules and procedures.  Quantitative information  To measure the situation of migrants and the effectiveness of policies  This is in the form of statistics and indicators.

14 stock 31 december 2005 stock 31 december 2006 leaving entering staying flows Stocks versus flows  Stocks: number of persons counted as residing in a country at a particular point in time.  Flows: number of persons counted as moving to or from a country during a period of time

15 Stocks versus flows  Inflow of foreign workers  Outflow of migrant workers  Stock of foreign workers

16 3. Where should we look?  International databases  Administrative records  Censuses and surveys  Statistics from receiving countries

17 International databases  They are databases that compile migration statistics from national sources for international perspectives on migration issues  The ILO has created an International Labour Migration (ILM) Database: But… 

18 Administrative records  Administrative data are produced as a by-product of the regular functions of an agency or institution  In the process of its work an organization may record and register information such as that related to laws and procedures.

19 Administrative records Inflow of foreign workers  New entry or immigration visas  New permission to work in the country  Apprehension of people crossing borders illegally  Reports to tax offices or social security authorities  Reports from recruitment agencies

20 Administrative records Outflow of workers  New exit permits or emigration visas  New permission to work abroad  New members of special insurance schemes  Reports from recruitment agencies  Other administrative registrations

21 Administrative records Stock of foreign workers  Population, tax and social security registers  Reports from recruitment agencies  Accumulated entry or immigration visas  Accumulated permission to work in the country

22 Censuses and surveys  Censuses  gather information from a complete listing of units  e.g. population censuses collect information from all households  in principle cover all foreigners, irrespective of the reason for their admission  surveys  collect data from a sample of units  e.g. labour force surveys obtain statistics from a sample of households.

23 Advantages of adapting LFS  Different emphases for “receiving” and “sending” countries  Different questionnaire content for foreign born, natives, and natives born abroad; particularly for measurement of remittances  Foreign born section longer, since interested in experiences of international migrants (foreign born, non citizens, or naturalized citizens)

24 Disadvantages to using LFS  Some LFS exclude foreigners and/or GQ populations (which often house temporary migrants)  Non-response, particularly for “illegal” migrants (hard- to-find population)  Data recall and accuracy, especially for money- related information  Additional questions increase respondent burden  Cost of adding (and sustaining) additional questions  The LFS is an inappropriate vehicle to ask migration questions (better to use a specialized survey)?

25 ILO’s Migration Module Project  ILO has developed a “large” migration module for attachment to household surveys (with over 200 questions)  Tested a limited number of questions in Armenia and Thailand in 2006  The module designed to measure:  remittances,  country of birth/citizenship  migration history  reasons for moving  migration networks  pre-migration characteristics  methods of finding employment  and current labour force situation

26 Migration Module Questions  Examples of topics/questions that could be added to labour force surveys

27 Defining nationals and immigrants (1): a typology  Foreign Born, non-citizen  Foreign Born, citizen at birth  Foreign Born, naturalized citizen  Native, citizen at birth  Native, non-citizen  Native, naturalized citizen

28 Defining nationals and immigrants (2): the questions  Place of birth  Citizenship  When became citizen  Multiple citizenship  Citizenship of Father/Mother  PoB of Father/Mother (parental nativity)  Citizenship of Spouse

29 Migration History To identify from where and when immigrants arrived, where they have moved since arrival, and the extent of their mobility  When did you first leave your country of birth; where did you move to?  Year of arrival (first and most recent)  Previous residence 1 year ago  Secondary migration (where lived when first moved to country, number of times moved within country, where lived immediately before living in current residence)

30 Pre-Migration Situation and activity (characteristics at time of move) The issue: Surveys typically collect information after a move has occurred, thus not probing the characteristics at time of move—needed to measure the impact of migration on individuals and places  Previous place of residence  Marital status  Education  Previous employment activity status (employed, looking for work)  Occupation

31 Motivations for Moving Allows us to identify work-related moves on a self-reported basis (as opposed to administrative records)  Reason moved away from country of origin  Reason moved to country of destination  Reason moved within the country

32 Immigrant Adaptation Measures of how immigrants adapt to countries over time  Language: How well currently speak local language(s), how well spoke on arrival  Fertility: Number of children in previous countries, number of children in current country  Citizenship Acquisition: If citizen at time of move, if now citizen, if intend to become citizen, etc.

33 Employment History To know details about labour activity when first arrived/started working in country  If job upon arrival  Transferred by an employer  Who helped in getting a job  Time spent in country before started looking for work  Main methods used to seek work

34 Current Employment Important for measurement of labour migration and conditions of workers  Currently work  Currently looking for work  How long looking for work  Industry  Occupation  Length of employment with current employer  Employee benefits

35 General remittance data collected on module  If send/receive remittances  Frequency  Amount  Methods used to send  To whom  Purpose  Value of goods sent/received

36 Country Specific Examples: Thailand (short version)  Twenty questions added to pre-existing LFS migration module (started in 2005)  15,000 households in test sample  Conducted from Oct-Dec Recently received final results.

37 Statistics from receiving countries  Migration statistics can also be obtained from receiving countries.  through administrative records, household surveys and establishment surveys  many countries have periodical publications with migration statistics.

38 4. Recommendations  Labour market information for overseas migration should be part of an overall information network.  A labour market information system (LMIS) links users and producers of LMI.

39 Labour Market Information System  For information about  Labour supply & labour demand  At home and abroad  It needs a focal point  E.g. the Ministry of Labour  In collaboration with the national statistical office that conducts labour force surveys.

40 Labour Market Analysis Population and Housing Census Labour Force Surveys Statistics from Administrative Records Statistical Publications from Receiving Countries Laws, Regulations and Procedures for Finding Work Abroad Key Economic Indicators International Databases, Reports and Meetings Elements of an LMIS for the monitoring of migration

41 Statistics from Administrative Records Monitoring migration

42 Statistics from Administrative Records Work Permits Entry Visas Recruitment Agencies Central Employment Office Monitoring migration

43 Outputs from the LMIS Focal Point for LMIS Bulletin or Newsletter Routine Administrative Reports Indicators Special Publications and Reports

44 Data collection in Central Asia and Russia  From the Seminar in Almaty 27th October 2008  Part 4 gives an overview and provides recommendations on labour migration data collection and statistics  Main challenge in labour migration data exchange: - different accountability and communication lines of the agencies - unclear inter-action mechanism between the agencies, restrained by the internal policies and political situation.  CIS Statistics Commitee could be a coordinating body for data exchange

45 Data collection in Central Asia and Russia  Necessary to widen the scope of indicators for data exchange and its regularity  Experts suggest that at the national level the state statistics agency should collect data from relevant agencies, be it national migration service and/or customs/border control and transfer them to the CIS Statistics Commitee will form the data base and archive of data.

46 Sources  Sending Workers Abroad: A manual for low- and middle-income countries, M. Abella, 1997  International Migration Statistics, Bilsborrow, Hugo & Zlotnik, ILO, 1997  UN convention on the rights of migrants:   migrant glossary:  URL_ID=3020&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTIO N=201.html URL_ID=3020&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTIO N=201.html