Opinion | How the coronavirus crisis will affect Hong Kong’s migration dynamics
- While the economy has taken an immediate hit, the pandemic will also have repercussions on all kinds of people movements, including labour migration, emigration trends, cross-border mobility, and migrant integration in Hong Kong
The spring of 2020 has been a season of despair, as the news of people dying from Covid-19 dominates. Restrictions on international travel, cinema closures and other social distancing measures have made life so different from how it used to be. Only now do we truly appreciate the importance of freedom of movement in our everyday lives.
Aside from economic disruptions, the coronavirus crisis could also have a longer-term impact on Hong Kong’s migration dynamics. Here are four ways that could happen.
First, labour migration could come to a screeching halt. The demand for migrant labour has been high, especially for migrant domestic workers. But amid a pandemic, the demand for migrant labour is likely to plummet as the world economy enters a recession.
Between February and March, seven foreign domestic workers were fired following Covid-19-related disputes with their employers, according to Ming Pao. There is likely to be more retrenchment, not only because of Covid-19 itself, but also because of falling demand. Many domestic workers may lose their job simply because their employers have lost theirs and can no longer afford to pay for domestic help.
In times of emergency, migrant workers are often the first to suffer. It is therefore especially important for policymakers not to increase human suffering in the name of public health.