Where the Hazardous Jobs Are: Migrant Workers in the 21st Century

Global migration has dramatically increased over the past decade and now numbers over 200 million transnational and over 1 billion total migrants. Demographics and economic interdependence will continue to drive global migration. Few studies have investigated occupational injury and illness rates among immigrant populations, but existing data indicate that higher rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries are common compared to native populations around the world.  This increase is in part due to immigrants working in higher risk occupations (e.g., agriculture, construction), but occupational morbidity and mortality is higher among immigrants than native-born workers within occupational categories. Precarious work status, exacerbated by migrants “in an irregular situation” is associated with increased occupational risk. Recent efforts to address migrant health in a new operational framework will be discussed.