Statistics
(Research papers and policy briefs below)
The proven adage that good policy depends on good data equally applies to the field of international migration. The major sources of migration data are at the national level are administrative records, population censuses and sample surveys. Yet migration statistics and data at global, regional and national levels suffer from inadequate coverage, lack of internationally comparable standards and indicators, undue focus on demographic aspects at the expense of all important dimensions of labour, employment and skills, and lack of gender sensitivity. Migration data collection has not kept up with the information needs of policy makers for emerging issues of migration: mixed character of migration flows, temporary forms of labour migration including circular migration, developmental aspects of migration (remittances, return migration and diaspora profiles), irregular migration, and conditions of work and treatment of migrants in destination countries.
A number of UN and other agencies are involved in migration data collection and dissemination at global level with limited coordination among them. The OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the European Commission collect and disseminate data for selected groups of countries. At the same time many developing countries lack the capacity to produce good quality migration data.
GMPA supports promoting research, methodologies and databases that measure and account for economic, labour and social impacts and consequences of migration, not just migration flows and demographic trends.
Documents and Papers
- Statistics on international migrants: Data quality issues for descriptive characteristics especially when using administrative registrations, HOFFMANN, 2018
- Committee on Migrant Workers Day of General Discussion: Role of Migration Statistics for Treaty Reporting and Migration Policies, TARAN, 2013
- Statistics for monitoring and regulating international migration: reflections on how they may be obtained in the proceedings of the International Workshop on National Migration Statistics Systems, HOFFMANN, 2010.
- Developing Labour Account Estimates: Issues and Approaches in Household Accounting: Experiences in the use of concepts and their compilation. Vol. 2: Household satellite extensions. Studies in Methods, Series F, No. 75/Vol.2. Handbook of National Accounting. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Statistics Division. United Nations, HOFFMANN, 2010.
- Statistics on International Labour Migration: A Review of Sources and Methodological Issues. Interdepartmental Project on Migrant Workers, HOFFMANN & LAWRENCE, 1996.