ECA says legal migration beneficial to economy

While the Employers Consultative Association of TT (ECA) commended the Government for taking steps to record and register the presence of Venezuelan migrants in TT, it has brought into sharp focus the need to address two very important issues: policy definition and design on migration and forced labour.

The ECA said in many countries migration policy issues have moved to the forefront of national and multilateral agendas. It said it is unfortunate that an increasingly politicised climate of emotion and negativity was creating so much public discourse surrounding migration issues, including legal labour migration, which, when properly governed, can be beneficial to the needs of industry and the long-term success of economies.

The ECA said while migration can raise an array of concerns, a 2018 report of the International Labour Organisation and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development provided evidence that, over the long term, migration not only provided economic opportunities for migrants and their families, but also fueled economic growth.