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PRINCE
Constantijn of The Netherlands urged the international
community, particularly the Western countries hosting
millions of migrant workers, to help developing
countries address brain drain and social disruptions
caused by the exodus of professional and skilled workers
to the First World.
At a
meeting with top business leaders in the Philippines,
the Dutch prince, who chairs The Hague Process on
Refugees and Migration, said developed countries should
create an environment that allows migrant workers to
fully use their talents and experience so they could
have equal opportunities while in their host countries.
He said
the business community plays an important role in
creating opportunities “for people to stay in their own
countries.”
United
Nations statistics show there are now 192 million global
migrants, and the number increases at 2.9 percent
annually. Of this figure, 8.2 million are from the
Philippines.
“Migration is not always the solution…. For people who
want to stay [in their own countries], we should create
opportunities at home,” said Prince Constantijn in his
keynote address at the joint meeting of the Makati
Business Club, European Chamber of Commerce in the
Philippines and Management Association of the
Philippines.
At the
same time, the Dutch prince said host governments should
also create an environment where people can exploit
their talents, noting that migrants are usually
“underutilized human capital as they work at lower
levels [matching their professional capacity].”
He said
the influx of migrant workers creates opportunities for
business companies to introduce services to migrant
communities.
The
international community should also “address social
disruptions at home which we [referring to developed
host nations] don’t see,” said Prince Constantijn.
“Brain
drain is a problem for most of the sending countries and
we should help them [developing countries] create return
opportunities [for the loss of their professionals and
talents back home],”said the Dutch Prince.
Doris
Magsaysay Ho, president and chief executive officer of
the Magsaysay group of companies, meanwhile, reiterated
the need to establish international and regional policy
regime to manage labor mobility.
She said
existing problems persist when employers impose two to
three years of employment contracts that “locked migrant
workers to live with their exploitative employers.” |
