The money that migrants around the world send to their families back home is well known to alleviate poverty. But many of these workers, usually from poor countries, face enormous legal and social barriers to working in wealthier nations. A report published this week by the World Bank lays out why the rich countries, often with low birth rates and labor shortages, should coordinate their efforts so that migrant workers can help them meet labor demand legally. The report, entitled "Migration and Remittances: Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union," also examined the impact of remittances on local economies and ways of encouraging greater stability in the labor markets.
See "A World Bank report recommends a fresh look at migrant workers", Judy Dempsey, International Herald Tribune, January 18, 2007