UN states mmigration is positive for both rich and poor nations

With the number of migrants worldwide soaring to a huge 200 million, the United nations is doing its best to put a positive spin on its benefits for both rich and poor countries.

During the last decade, immigration has swelled from150 million to its present figure, with a significant change in that the rich are now migrating from their home countries to other wealthy nations and even the poor are migrating to other less than rich nations. A high-level United Nations meeting is being held this week in New York to discuss the developments.

In Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Thailand, the impetus for migration is to find higher paid work and a better quality of life. Hundreds of workers apply for each small batch of jobs in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries, with many applicants overqualified for the positions offered.

The Middle East, Canada and Australia are magnets for migrants due to better working conditions and salaries which allow money to be sent to families in the home country. However, all three destinations are tightening immigration and remittance rules, and the Emirates are embarking on programmes aimed at reducing the numbers of migrant workers in order to solve high rates of unemployment.

Millions of workers from third world or developing countries attempt to find jobs overseas, as the manufacturing sectors in their home countries shrink. The moves are a win-win for both the home country and the migrant destinations, as skills shortages are eliminated in host countries and money is sent back to migrants’ families.

Almost one billion people worldwide benefit from remittances sent by migrant family members working abroad, according to the United Nations study. The amount is considered to exceed by far the overseas aid sent from wealthy nations to poorer countries in the third world.