A report released last week at the World Economic Foum entitled "More than Numbers: How migration data can deliver real-life benefits" shows how better data collection on migration "could boost benefits of migration by at least USD 35 billion based on a number of case examples." The report was drawn up by the UN Migration Agency's (IOM) Global Migration Data Analysis Center (GMDAC), working with the Mckinsey Centre for Government (MCG).
The data, IOM said, "enable policymakers to protect migrants in vulnerable situations, fill labour market shortages, improve integration, manage asylum procedures, ensure the humane return of migrants ordered to leave, and increase remittances".
Examples of economic benefits
The report by the UN, the final version of which was drawn up ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, contains specific examples of how data on migration can lead to economic benefits. On the issue of emigration, "leveraging data on recruitment costs and working conditions can help to reduce recruitment costs by USD 3-6 billion for labour migrants in four Arab Gulf states alone".
On immigration, "using data to identify and incentivize migrant groups with relevant skill sets from abroad can help close domestic labour market gaps'', IOM noted . As concerns integration and labor, the UN agency said that "targeted initiatives to increase language proficiency can enable a 15-20 percentage point increase in immigrants' employment rates" and that the use of data to connect migrants with the appropriate skills to specific jobs "could increase the income of highly skilled migrants by EUR 5-7 billion in the EU alone". Policies based on these data "can double the number of human trafficking cases identified. This could enable support to around 150.000 victims".
Reliable data can help improve management of remittances to countries of origin and "enable a significant reduction in the number of duplicate registrations" on migrant arrivals. IOM claims that the data could also be of use for assisted voluntary return programs, increasing participation by 10%. 'The time has come to invest in migration data' "Despite widespread consensus on the importance of data to manage migration effectively, the current availability of relevant and reliable data is still very limited,'' IOM said.
The report "is intended to support decision makers in capturing concrete economic, social and humanitarian benefits in line with targets they choose to prioritize, by leveraging the data that matters". It "urges governments to put data at the centre of the debate on migration using a value-driven approach", said IOM director general William Lacy Swing, in introducing the report. "The time to invest in better migration data is now. As countries have joined together on a path toward increased cooperation and action on migration, investment in data will be crucial for its success".