In 2023, due to higher inflation rates globally, we witnessed a significant increase in the costs of living and transportation worldwide, while minimum wage rates remained static. Low-wage workers were among the most affected by this and the opportunities for migrant workers to earn decent wages became even more restricted.
We also saw a rise in anti-migration rhetoric in many parts of the world, with at least five countries (Chile, France, Italy, Latvia, the UK) enacting new laws to criminalise and worsen the punishments for people who migrate irregularly.
In October 2023, the war in Gaza demonstrated how poor living and working conditions for migrant workers exposes them to a range of harms, beyond labour rights violations. A number of Southeast Asian migrant workers working in conflict-prone areas of Israel and Palestine were killed during the October 7 attacks. When the remaining workers returned home to escape the conflict, Israel turned to more impoverished countries, particularly those in sub- Saharan Africa, to recruit replacement migrant workers.