COVID-19 Impact on International Migration, Remittances, and Recipient Households in Developing Asia

This brief assesses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on migrant workers, how reduced remittances will affect households and economies in Asia and the Pacific, and what policy makers can do to soften the blow.

Job losses stemming from COVID-19 are hurting households around the world, but for Asia and the Pacific’s 91 million migrant workers—a third of the global migrant workforce—the impacts will be particularly severe. In this brief, ADB economists estimate that the region faces remittance losses ranging from $31.4 billion to $54.3 billion. To reduce the economic and social impacts, policy responses are proposed in areas such as social protection, immigration, labor, and health.