Economic migrants and health vulnerability

Abstract

In the midst of an increasingly global economy, a rising number of people are migrating to work, drawing increasing attention to the health impacts of labor migration. The connections between migration and health are complex, multi-faceted, and often difficult to unravel. How has labor migration shaped current global health crises, and how will it define the trajectories of these crises in the future? The spread of disease in societies is shaped in large part by the political, social and economic environment in which people live. Migrant labor, a paramount and growing force, creates economic inequalities and influences policies, social institutions, familial structures, sexual networks, and individual behaviors in ways that threaten both the health of migrants and that of their communities. In this chapter we begin by briefly exploring the extent of global labor migration and its economic impact. Thereafter we discuss the links between labor migration and disease, particularly focusing on southern Africa, and examine the different levels at which labor migration can cause health vulnerability. We then present two case studies that further explore the complex association between migrant labor and health vulnerability: the relationship between migration and tuberculosis (TB) in Norway, and the role of labor migration in the explosive spread of HIV/AIDS throughout South Africa. We conclude by making recommendations for effective interventions on the local, national, and regional scales. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.