The migration of workers from low-income countries to developed economies has a positive effect on global economic growth, the International Monetary Fund said.
"Immigration into advanced economies increases output and productivity, both in the short and medium term, but these positive effects are not clearly detected for refugee flows in emerging market and developing economies," the fund said in a chapter of its World Economic Outlook set to be released on June 24.
About 270 million people in the world were classified as migrants in 2019, with the number having increased by 120 million since 1990.
While migrants have accounted for about 3 per cent of the world's population over the past six decades, their number as a share of the total population of advanced economies rose from 7 per cent to 12 per cent during the same period.
The coronavirus pandemic halted migration as countries locked borders and enforced movement restrictions – a move that could possibly have a significant long-term effect on their economies.
Conflict is an important driver, prompting large-scale movement of people from war-ravaged developing economies to neighbouring countries.
The IMF said the share of migrants relative to the global population will remain “broadly stable” under a baseline scenario. However, the share of migrants moving to advanced economies will expand relative to the population increase in emerging economies.
Climate change will also be an instigator of long and short-distance migration, the fund said.
Continued large-scale migration is expected to contribute to output and productivity growth in advanced economies in the short and medium term.
However, refugee flows into emerging and developing economies do not appear to produce similar gains, the multilateral lender said.
According to the IMF, labour market policy focused on the vocational training and education of immigrants could boost macroeconomic gains.
It also called for international financial support and policy co-ordination measures to address refugee crises and support the integration of refugees within host countries.
The effect of migration on global output is positive due to increased productivity in the case of labour movement from low- to high-productivity countries.
“An additional, but small, contribution to global GDP comes from the gradual closing of the productivity gap between immigrants" and host populations, the IMF said.
The trend is also expected to improve the skills of host populations.
Emerging and developing economies also receive a boost to per capita income from remittances sent from abroad, helping offset some of the negative effects of large-scale emigration.
The IMF’s note on the economic contribution of migrants comes after a call by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation for their rights to be protected.
The coronavirus pandemic left migrant workers, who form an integral part of the agriculture industry in advanced economies, impoverished while host countries were affected negatively.
“Migrants play a substantial role in agri-food systems. Measures affecting the movement of people [internally and internationally] and the resulting labour shortages will have an impact on agricultural value chains, affecting food availability and market prices globally,” the FAO said.
For instance, the pandemic forced European economies to recognise migrants from Eastern Europe as critical workers.
Special flights were arranged to enable the movement of seasonal workers from poorer parts of the continent into countries such as France to help with fruit picking, harvesting and other agriculture-related functions.
However, as incomes grow in emerging and developing economies, the movement of workers across borders may be reduced.
“This is not necessarily the case for poorer countries, like those in sub-Saharan Africa, where rising [though still low] incomes may enable more people to emigrate,” the IMF said.
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Bullet%20Train
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MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
