[INTERVIEW] Migration offers solution to Korea's shrinking workforce: IOM deputy chief

Amy Pope, deputy director general for management and reform at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the IOM Seoul office in downtown Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

UN migration agency calls for action on climate change-induced displacements

By Lee Hyo-jin

Inclusive immigration policies could be a major solution to address Korea's aging population and shrinking labor force, says Amy Pope, deputy director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who stressed that the country should establish fair labor practices to protect migrant workers' rights.

"Immigration is one of the best tools that we have out there in terms of responding to the demographic challenges of the moment. It helps fulfill critical labor shortages here in Korea, which, frankly, we are seeing around the world," Pope said during an interview with The Korea Times during her visit to Seoul, Wednesday.

"Looking ahead to future demographic trends in Korea, North America and Europe, and then if you look at the growing youth population across Africa, Asia and Latin America, there's a natural opportunity that we can take advantage of."

The former senior adviser on migration to U.S. President Joe Biden has been serving as the deputy director general for management and reform at the U.N. migration agency since September 2021.

Pope observed that migration, if done well, is a win-win strategy for both sending and receiving countries, as the benefits of migration are not limited to an increased workforce in the host country.

"The sending countries receive quite a significant amount in remittances from workers who are working abroad," she said. Remittances refer to financial or in-kind transfers made by migrants directly to families or communities in their countries of origin.

"And that actually leads to improvements in development in their economies, in the exchange of information and ideas, allowing a more organic development of the country, which is often far more effective than just providing overseas development aid. So, the better we can make the match between sending and receiving countries, it would lead to benefits for every country."

Pope's message comes as the Korean government is stepping up efforts to carry out inclusive migration policies to tackle the nation's shrinking labor force amid its rapidly declining population. The latest data from Statistics Korea estimates the population to shrink to 38 million by 2070, from the current 52 million.

Migrant workers work at a foundry in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this Oct. 21, 2021 file photo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

The government is planning to establish a separate organization dedicated to migration-related issues which are currently handled by the Ministry of Justice, while creating new visa categories to attract immigrants to settle in depopulated rural regions.

The immigration expert also stressed the importance of fair labor laws to ensure that migrants who are coming into local labor markets are not discriminated against in terms of labor standards and wages.

"Ultimately, there is a responsibility within the government to make sure that employers are behaving ethically, paying wages that are consistent with the market. If a migrant is being treated unfairly, there needs to be a way for them to report it, and it should be make sure that he or she isn't then retaliated against because of bringing forward the concern," she said.

Pope further highlighted the need for efforts to achieve successful integration of migrants.

In addition to providing pre-departure information sessions on the host country's culture and language, it is important that government services are available, both to migrants and to the host community, she said.

"We have seen in certain cases where there are services that are offered only for migrants, but not also available to the hosting country that can lead to frustration or a sense of unfairness."

Pope also said the importance of spreading positive narratives of migration should not be overlooked. "Sometimes migration is painted in a very, very negative way, without really highlighting the countless ways it changes people's lives for the better. Migration really is good for all people when it's done well and managed well, but we often don't tell that story we often get stuck in the problems."

Global demand for migrants grows

As of 2020, there are around 281 million international migrants around the world, accounting for about 3.6 percent of the global population, according to IOM data. And the figure is expected to grow, according to Pope, who anticipates the demand for migrants to increase in many countries struggling with aging populations.

"Everywhere around the world, we are seeing pretty acute demographic changes. That means that we will have more growing demand for labor to stay competitive in terms of the country's economy," she said. "And in the future, countries will need to rely on migration to meet basic needs, whether they're low-skilled or high-skilled."

She also viewed that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how important migrants are. Whereas office jobs could be done online effectively, jobs in the service, agricultural and manufacturing sectors still relied on in-person workers.

"And the danger for many countries, Korea included, is that we're developing societies that are really good at online jobs, but leaving a gap to the service sector jobs where you need real humans to do the work," she said, emphasizing the need for more active personnel exchanges between countries.

According to Pope, some countries are already actively engaging in personnel exchanges.

"India and Germany, for instance, are training (Indian) workers to fulfill the needs that are upcoming in Germany. So basically, you'd create a channel for legal regular migration, where you both provide opportunities and take advantage of the growing youth movement to help build the needs in countries that are aging."

Urgent action needed on climate change migration

Huts made of branches and cloth provide shelter to Somalis displaced by drought on the outskirts of Dollow, Somalia, Sept. 19. AP-Yonhap

Climate change will be the No.1 cause of human displacement in the future, said Pope, sharing her recent experience in Somalia where over 100 million people have been displaced amid the fifth drought of the season.

"Drought is a slow-moving disaster. You can see it coming, but because there wasn't a proactive response to the drought in the first couple of years, people have ended up in a situation where they're on the brink of famine, right. So that is a very, very concrete example of what could happen more broadly," she said, calling for preemptive efforts to help communities mitigate the effects of natural disasters.

Pope, who has recently been nominated as the next director general of the IOM, said if elected, under her leadership, the agency will strengthen engagement with its member states, including Korea.

"Korea is a really important partner to us at IOM, both in terms of its work with us here in the country, but also in its leadership in the Asia-Pacific region," she said. "Our agenda is to support our members as they respond and manage to migration and the displacement of people by taking the best practices that we learned from other parts of the world and to inform about them using our rich database."