Language and labor migration

THE primary motivation for people to migrate is to have a better life, and this is usually expressed in better income. Approximately 170 million, or two-thirds, of international migrants are labor migrants, most of whom are in highly developed economies. According to the International Labor Organization, 4.9 percent of the global labor force are migrants. They contribute about 10 percent of global economic production and increase global production by 4 percent more than what the world could produce without them. This is only possible because mobility magnifies the productivity of migrants — they are moved to a place where they can contribute to production, and can be more productive than in their places of origin.

As in all categories of migration, language is crucial in labor migration. Needless to say, proficiency in the language of the destination country is often required in getting employment. There is sufficient empirical evidence pointing to the fact that higher proficiency in the destination language yields higher income and, consequently, better living conditions for migrants and their families. But most migrants do not have the necessary proficiency to be hired for the jobs they would be qualified to have, skills- and training-wise.