Migrant Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Gap in Human Rights Protection?

If one considers international migration in relative percentage terms, it appears to be a limited phenomenon; the 2020 estimated proportion of migrants in the total world population amounts to 3.5%, only 0.7% higher than the 2000 estimates. Between 2000 and 2020, the global number of international migrants has grown from 150 million to 272 million, with almost two-thirds of them – 164 million – being migrant workers. Among migrants, workers are a vulnerable group, and their conditions have worsened as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to examine to what extent UN and ILO standards have reduced the vulnerability of migrant workers in these challenging times (i.e., between March 2020 to March 2021).