There is an urgent need to help migrant workers deal with the job crisis due to economic downturn facing the world. Immigrants were key drivers behind the economic boom, by adding skills and productivity to economic capacity. Now, almost everywhere migrants are feeling the brunt of deteriorating job markets as a result of the economic crisis. Overall, legal immigration of foreign nationals into the OECD fell 6% in 2008, the first decline after five years of averaging 11% growth. Few governments have adopted new or additional measures specifically to address migrant workers. Instead, most countries have relied on existing labor market measures or other general instruments adopted in response to the crisis. Meanwhile, short-term work schemes have been one of the main ways of keeping people in work in several countries.

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employment generation crisis management financial crisis governance approach migratory population OECD labor market economic growth growth rate economic impact worker caste immigration productivity