COVID-19 Impact on International Migration, Remittances in Asia

This brief assesses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on migrant workers, how reduced remittances will affect households and economies in Asia and the Pacific, and what policy makers can do to soften the blow.Job losses stemming from COVID-19 are hurting households around the world, but for Asia and the Pacific’s 91 million migrant workers—a third of the global migrant workforce—the impacts will be particularly severe. In this brief, ADB economists estimate that the region faces remittance losses ranging from $31.4 billion to $54.3 billion. To reduce the economic and social impacts, policy responses are proposed in areas such as social protection, immigration, labor, and health.
With many households depending on international remittances in developing Asia—particularly in the Pacific and Central and West Asian economies—a sudden stop in remittance flow to these regions could push people into poverty.
Source and host countries of migrant workers are encouraged to extend temporary social protection programs to assist stranded and returned migrants; extend social protection to the poor including the remittance recipient households who fall back to poverty; design comprehensive immigration, health, and labor policies that enable migrants to return to jobs; and ensure the continuity of remittance services and enabling business environment – Asian Development Bank