Abstract

Globalization has been around since the very beginning of civilization. From slavery to now low-wage workers, people have always been on the move either by force or to find new opportunities. In more recent decades, organizations have been able to establish secure low-waged jobs for migrant workers, but now what was thought to be secure is no longer. COVID-19 has been an unparalleled experience for both businesses and migrants. With new restrictions, migrants are left vulnerable to two major problems; either no work openings or jobs that introduce greater possibilities to exposure. Those who risk being exposed to the virus are faced with an unusual predicament where they aren’t supported by the host country’s medical system. This does not just go for when migrants do become infected with the virus but also when they try to prevent it. The medical system however is only one of the major concerns for migrants. The pandemic has caused local communities to become more xenophobic, leading to further experiences of alienation and discrimination towards those new or seemingly new to the country. With recent situations around the world, migrants are forced out of their countries to find shelter and safety. They are risking their lives further to achieve the travel needed, as COVID-19 has created more obstacles for them to overcome. Without the support of neighboring countries, migrants will continue to be placed in unsafe environments unless those willing to reach out give them the protection they need.  

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The movement or migration of humans has been going on since the beginning of time.  As modes of transportation advances and moving around the world improved throughout the centuries, it is understandable that there has been a steady increase of migrants around the world and that the world economies have become ever-increasingly dependent on migration from many perspectives including labor, tourism, and trade.  In 2019, over 270 million people migrated globally for multiple reasons. As the world continued to unify this number was predicted to increase constantly into the future. Then, in 2020 COVID–19 hit creating an extraordinary obstacle that has had a huge impact on migration.  When the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the outbreak was a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, the world went into lockdown. Countries closed their borders to any non-essential travel to effectively “flatten the curve”. The consequence of this halted the rate of migration. Migrants have found themselves stranded either in their host or home country.  Due to these unprecedented restrictions, migrants have felt the repercussions of these restrictions creating a decline in the globalized economy. Migrants that traditionally travel to other countries to fulfill seasonal occupations have been unemployed and employers are desperate to find employees to fill the positions. Both the migrant and the employers are feeling the effect of a broken system that they have built their livelihoods around. In addition, Migrants such as tourists or travelers were forced to cancel trips and postpone holidays causing a huge drop in tourism throughout the world. Business travel came to halt, cruise ship companies went bust, and airlines were grounded. COVID-19 caused the world to go into shut down devastating human migration and in turn globalization. 

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“Globalization is the connection of different parts of the world.” (Par. 1)[1] So when it is stated that COVID-19 has affected migration we must also recognize the impact on the globalized economy. The globalized economy is the process of trade through organizations around the world. It directly affected and influences the world’s economic growth as well as the politics and cultures of different countries. Consequently, the growth of globalization over the centuries has in turn increased the rate of human migration.  In 1492 after the first Europeans made their way over to the “New World” America, the Columbian Exchange was established to facilitate the movement of traded goods.  A good example and a large part of this exchange structure were the slaves sent by Europeans to America to work in the new world. These slaves were sent in exchange for traded goods to go back to Europe. This exchange played a large role in the distribution of migrants throughout the known world by instating migrants from one country to another. Of course, in more modern times no slaves are being traded, but many industries depend on low-wage employees which traditionally were brought over from third world counties.  The most obvious example of this is the need for seasonal agriculture work.  These positions have been traditionally filled for the most part by migrant workers, helping the employer save on their labor costs, but it is argued that they equally benefit the migrant workers even at the lower wage. They can make more money than they would be able to in their home countries and are often able to help support their families back home. However, with COVID-19 farmers have been unable to bring in this necessary workforce causing crops to go to waste and farmers to lose their livelihood. 

We can see that COVID-19 has had devastating effects on migrants who have had to face many changes and challenges. “Migrant workers are unable to travel… with border disruptions”. (Par. 11)[2] Many workers that had become accustomed migrate to low-wage seasonal jobs in other countries are confined to their home country and unable to find any work. This has caused an increase of illegal migrants desperate to find work and avoid borders.  As an example since the pandemic, there has been an increase of North Africans trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe to “seek out work opportunities abroad”. (Pg. 6)[3] On the other hand, there are migrants who “cannot return to their countries due to travel bans and disruption to transportation services. Migrant workers tend to be vulnerable to the loss of employment and wages”. (Pg. viii)[4] Migrant workers are faced with more barriers than ever before. Specifically, those that are undocumented are exposed to difficult situations as they can be forced to take on jobs that are not ethical. Their lack of ability to turn away work can cause a higher chance of exposure to the virus. In the more recent weeks, protesters in Ottawa and Montreal specifically have been gathering to inform and pressure the federal government to recognize migrant workers’ status.

Since the pandemic migrants in their host countries have felt neglected by the employment (or unemployment) systems. In addition, migrants have noticed an increase in xenophobia. It is recognized that these concerns will increase. News media have reported that many migrants that do not have proper visa documents are not getting vaccinated due to the fear of being deported. [5] Their fear of being thrown out of their host country is far greater than the fear of becoming ill. Now not only are undocumented immigrants feeling anxious about the government finding their identity, but they are also hesitant to be vaccinated. As an example, in the United States, there is a lack of understanding being communicated to the local communities. The miscommunication creates foreign cultures to waver, making the vaccine look less acceptable in certain groups. “To identify barriers, information regarding vaccine beliefs and practices must be incorporated into the pandemic response.” (Abstract)[6] This information and data are needed to be shared within these communities. Only once that is achieved will the population of vaccinated Americans increase. All this uncertainty causes more risk for those who are unable or are hesitant to get the vaccination, creating additional discrimination against their unvaccinated status.

Even with all the difficulties and discriminations, migrants continue to persist in moving from their homelands. Desperate for a chance to find work or faced with inadequate health service standards, those living in poverty are at a larger risk of becoming exposed to the virus with no proper way of helping themselves to recover. Not only are people experiencing insufficient aid but people are living in war-torn countries that if they are to stay could jeopardize their lives. Those in more critical situations are forced to move but will now “suffer from fewer movement options… faced with diminished institutional capacity offering them support.” (Par. 19)[2] Because of the decline in accessibility to cross the borders of different countries, forced-out migrants are compromising themselves by taking larger risks to seek asylum. One of these ways of putting themselves in danger is relying on smugglers to help them get into the neighboring country. Due to the pandemic, countries are securing their borders to a greater extent in fear of potential surges in COVID-19 cases. Some countries are predicted to permanently close their borders to migrants even after the coronavirus, taking advantage of the situation now to “better” themselves for when the world goes back to a more normal status.

Around the world, we see and hear of terrible situations forcing people into desperate attempts to flee their residing countries. We mentioned earlier the war-torn and political unrest. To add to that we are seeing an increase in natural disasters due to global warming. In just this year alone, there have been wildfires, floods, typhoons, and even volcanic eruptions, resulting in the evacuations of residents. While some were able to make their way back home, many were left with their homes in shambles. These people did not ask for these disasters and they should not have to suffer from a situation they had no control over. Now on top of losing their homes, they are faced with restraints on migrating due to new regulations on essential travel making them risk their lives further to find shelter and safety.

The world has traditionally come to rely on migrants in so many ways. Whether it is to fill seasonal positions in the agricultural sector, bring expertise to help grow companies, or simply to fuel the multi-billion-dollar tourist industry, migration has been a critical part of our globalization. However, since COVID-19 was identified as a worldwide pandemic the status quo has changed. Countries have become more distant and apathetic towards outsiders seeking the help they used to provide. The barriers of job opportunities and border crossing have tied the hands of many migrants looking for security. Migrants need support and a safe place after leaving their homes.  Not only are there migrants trying to seek asylum, but others who have already arrived in new host countries facing the consequences of an alienated environment. Due to COVID-19’s impact, those newly arrived are unable to get the support they need which is further frustrated by an increase in xenophobia towards them. Without support, migrants are left vulnerable. Without any income or being forced to work at wages below the legal limits, they are put into positions that place their well-being at risk further exposing the chance of catching the virus to their detriment and those around them. Without the ability to receive national health benefits or the reluctance to risk deportation if they are not properly documented they put everyone at further risk compounding their difficulties. 

COVID-19 has been devastating for the economies of our world. Industries that rely on the movement of people into and out of countries have had to find temporary solutions to get through a continuing time of devastation. Businesses are closing due to a lack of workers or lack of patrons. Countries are spending billions to keep economies going while the end of the pandemic remains as a nondetermined timeline. How long can this uncertainty continue?

Citations

  1. Brown, Tyson. Effects of Economic Globalization, National Geographic Society, Dec. 2019
  2. Yayboke, Erol. Five Ways COVID-19 Is Changing Global Migration, CSIS, Mar. 2020
  3. Litzkow, Julia. The impact of COVID-19 on refugees and migrants on the move in North and West Africa, MMC Briefing Paper, Mixed Migration Centre, Feb. 2021
  4. World Bank. COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens, Migration and Development Brief no. 32, World Bank, Apr. 2020
  5. Hessey, Krista. Undocumented Workers Face Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccine, Global News, Mar. 2021
  6. Thomas, Christine, Osterholm, Michael and Stauffer, William, Critical Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination of Refugees, Immigrants and Migrants, University of Minnesota, January 2021
  • Shrestha, Nistha. “The impact of COVID-19 on globalization”, Elsevier, Oct. 2020
  • Lacroix-Couture, Frédéric. “Protesters in Montreal pressure Ottawa to regularize migrant workers’ status”, The Canadian Press, Jul. 2021
  • “World Migration Report 2020”, International Organization for Migration, 2019
  • Cucinotta, Domenico and Vanelli, Maurizio. “WHO Declares COVID-19 a pandemic”, Acta Biomed. 2020 Mar 
  • Giokos, Eleni. “The nightmare of Greece’s Evia, an island devoured by flames”, CNN, Aug 2021
  • Woodall, Matthew. What We’re Watching: Weekly Disaster Update, Center of Disaster Philanthropy, Aug 2021