New Report Highlights Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing Societies

Population ageing may present serious challenges to developed Western nations, particularly with respect to the care needed for a growing number of older people, according to a newly released report in the IOM Migration Research Series.

"The Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing Societies: Report on Research Findings in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States," finds that while migrant caregivers play an increasingly significant role in all four of the countries surveyed due to the shift towards older populations and declining domestic labour supplies, little is known about this workforce.

The report is a synthesis of research conducted by the Institute for the Study of International Migration (Georgetown University), the Community Health Research Unit (University of Ottawa), the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (National University of Ireland Galway) and the Centre on Migration, Policy & Society (University of Oxford).

The combined multi-year project data collected from migrant care workers, care providers, and older adult care users in the four countries highlights the overall lack of prioritization for provision of elderly care in the four countries.

The report also shows that the main challenges raised by the demand for migrant labour are related to the larger issues of an underfunded system of care provision, and an often-underpaid sector of employment. Increasing reliance on migrant care workers is a symptom of these challenges with the report concluding that migrants, while making important contributions, are not the solution to these structural deficiencies.

Care industry dynamics, including an overall trend towards cost-cutting and deregulation, coupled with low wages and unfavourable employment conditions, underline an inability to attract native-born employees and the related need to address working conditions in the industry overall and specifically for migrant labourers.

The report notes that immigration policies in the four countries studied potentially contributed to poor work conditions in the care industry through such measures as tying temporary work visas to sponsoring employers.

However, a high percentage of migrants in lesser-skilled and lower-paid care occupations across all four nations studied suggest that many migrant care givers enter outside of labour migration channels. The United States stands out with about one-fifth of its direct/social care workforce estimated to be unauthorized. Of the cases studied, only Canada specifically recruits migrant care giver talent through a temporary labour programme.

Elderly care beneficiaries and their migrant care givers surveyed recognized their relationship as an important one and the report recommends attention be given to facilitating these relationships through policy prioritization and reform.

The country studies found that most employers consider migrants to be hard-working, compassionate employees who are reliable and responsible caregivers. However, employers, caregivers and care users, all noted as well that language and communication issues present challenges to employing migrant caregivers.

While research findings did not provide overall quantitative evidence of discrimination in the employment of migrant workers, some workers reported discrimination in relation to wages and working conditions.

The report points to a few key recommendations for addressing the increasing significance of elder care in developed Western nations and its implications for migrant labour.

More attention is required regarding recruitment, skill requirements, admissions, mobility, and residency issues to ensure a qualified labour force. The migrant caregiver experience must also be addressed in terms of the attitudes and expectations of employers and clients, the training required for foreign-born workers, and the discrimination experienced in some segments of the sector.

Employment policies should seek to reinforce the quality of employment in the sector in general according to the report, through training, regulations on earnings and working conditions, or other means. Support for language and cultural sensitivity training would benefit the quality of care as well.

Finally, the report notes that migrant admission policies may require genuine reform to ensure consistency with elderly care policymaking, and recommends that employer demand be closely monitored.

The full report can be downloaded from IOM's Online Bookstore at:
http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_3&products_id=669&zenid=e48e05e5861837cd08a0c491be956575

For more information on the project "The Role of Migrant Health and Social Care Workers in Ageing Societies" and to download individual country reports for Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, please see: http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/research/labourmarket/migrantcareworkers/.