CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR MIGRATION: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62536/sjehss.2026.v4.i6.pp68-74Keywords:
international labor migration; migrant workers; brain drain; remittances; migration policy; labor market integration; irregular migration.Abstract
International labor migration has become one of the defining socio-economic phenomena of the twenty-first century, with an estimated 169 million migrant workers globally on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article provides a multidimensional review of the contemporary problems associated with cross-border labor movement, drawing on established migration theory and recent statistical evidence from the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and the World Bank. Four clusters of problems are examined: (i) economic distortions, including brain drain and remittance dependency; (ii) social tensions, including discrimination and family separation; (iii) legal and institutional gaps that produce irregular status and vulnerability to exploitation; and (iv) emerging shocks associated with pandemic disruptions and geopolitical realignment. The analysis suggests that unilateral national responses are insufficient and that coordinated bilateral and multilateral governance frameworks – grounded in the ILO decent-work agenda and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration – are necessary to address the risks while preserving the developmental benefits of labor mobility.
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