Labor Migration in the Post-COVID World: Imagining ‘Just Transition’ using Decent Work Agenda

Abstract

This article examines how COVID-19 impacts migrant workers and what can be done for their equitable transition after the pandemic is subdued. The immediate policy response to the pandemic was closing of national borders that resulted in a state of emergency on a global scale. The need for continuous and safe passage of goods, services, and workers was acknowledged by laws and policies that were an ‘exception’ to the rule, and deemed ‘essential’. This approach resulted in five distinct types of impact on the migrant worker in the spheres of employment, health, movement, social protection, and opportunities. This study uses the framework of ‘just’ transition from sustainability discourse to imagine a labor-centered long-term policy for the migrant worker.

Keywords: Labor, Migration, COVID-19, Social Justice, Human Rights, International Law