International labour migration statistics in South Asia Establishing a subregional database and improving data collection for evidence-based policy-making International labour migration statistics in South Asia: Establishing a subregional database and improving data collection for evidence-based policy-making International labour migration statistics in South Asia: Establishing a subregional database and improving data collection for evidence-based policy-making Copyright © International Labour Organization 2018 First published 2018 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. ISBN: 978-92-2-031165-3 (web pdf); 978-92-2-031166-0 (epub) The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. Information on ILO publications and digital products can be found at www.ilo.org/publns or contact [email protected]. All Photos: © ILO 2018 FOREWORD In South Asia and across the world, the effective governance of labour migration has emerged as a policy priority with weighty political, economic and social implications. Migration trends continue to evolve over time, and the challenges appear to have increased in complexity. New approaches are needed to ensure the advancement of a fair migration agenda, and a fair sharing of the prosperity labour migration can create, with policies that respond equitably to the interests of countries of origin and destination, to employers, and for all workers – nationals and migrants. Effective measures must be grounded in evidence. For this, data on labour migration and migrant workers in South Asia disaggregated by sex, occupation and several other variables is of utmost importance. This priority has been reiterated in national and regional discussions, and at the global level, in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Global Compact for Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration. The need for improved data was also highlighted in the discussion on labour migration at the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference in 2017, in the Bali Declaration adopted at the 16th ILO Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting in 2016, and in the SAARC Plan of Action on Labour Migration. The ILO is playing a key role in supporting national statistical offices and other government agencies in responding to this need. This report, International labour migration statistics in South Asia: Establishing a subregional database and improving data collection for evidence-based policy-making, is an important step in this direction. The report compiles the data that exist on labour migration and migrant workers in South Asia, highlights many challenges and limitations in the current statistical framework, and provides concrete recommendations on how data collection and analysis can be strengthened in the subregion. While readers will be able to observe migration developments and trends in the different countries, it should be noted that comparing data between countries remains a challenge because of the different approaches taken to data collection, including varying definitions and classifications utilized in national-level population surveys and administrative records. We expect that the report will inform national, subregional, regional and international discourse on labour migration policies and programmes, and that it may instruct future technical cooperation on data collection, so that data and reporting will become more complete, timely and reliable. I would like to thank all of the contributors to this report, including our government counterparts, ILO staff and independent experts. This report is an excellent example of collaboration among the ILO country offices in the region, the Decent Work Technical Support Team for South Asia and the technical departments in Geneva. Dagmar Walter Director, ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for South Asia and Country Office for India v TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ............................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... xi Executive summary ......................................................................................................... xiii Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. xix 1. Overview .....................................................................................................................1 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................1 1.2 Improving data collection and sharing ..........................................................................2 1.3 Objectives of the research ............................................................................................3 1.4 Overview and structure of the report ...........................................................................3 2. A South Asian International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database .....................7 2.1 The need for improved data on international labour migration ..................................7 2.2 ILMS South Asia vision and objectives ..........................................................................8 2.3 ILMS database scope and coverage ............................................................................10 2.4 Proposed ILMS tables ..................................................................................................11 3. Profile of international migrants living within and outside of South Asia ....................17 3.1 UNDESA and the definition of international migrants ................................................17 3.2 South Asian migrant stocks .........................................................................................18 3.2.1 International migrants living in South Asia .....................................................19 3.2.2 South Asian nationals residing abroad ............................................................20 3.2.3 Comparing international migrants in South Asia with South Asian nationals abroad ..............................................................................................22 3.3 South Asian migrant flows ...........................................................................................26 3.4 Remittances and external financial flows to South Asia .............................................30 3.4.1 Overview of remittances to South Asia ...........................................................30 3.4.2 Remittances, net ODA and FDI ........................................................................32 3.4.3 Remittance transaction costs to South Asian origin countries .......................37 3.4.4 Remittances and the global policy agenda .....................................................40 4. Profile of international migrant workers moving out of South Asia .............................45 4.1 Proposed definition of international migrant workers ...............................................45 4.2 Brief overview of South Asian labour migration .........................................................46 4.3 National sources of labour migration statistics ...........................................................47 4.3.1 Labour Force Surveys ......................................................................................47 4.3.2 Population censuses ........................................................................................49 4.3.3 Administrative records ....................................................................................51 4.4 Official statistics on out-migration for employment in South Asia.............................53 vii INTERNATIONAL LABOUR MIGRATION STATISTICS IN SOUTH ASIA 4.4.1 Data coverage, caveats, limitations and other considerations .......................53 4.4.2 Total outflows of nationals for employment abroad ......................................57