Introduction to “Migrant workers”

In the EU-27, 20.3 million people, or 4.1% of the population, live in a country which is different to their citizenship [1], with 12.6% of the EU-28 workforce having a migrant background. Historically, employment seeking is a key factor in the flow of peacetime migration, with labour demands for expanding national economies, income inequalities among countries, and processes of economic integration all contributory factors [2]. Globally, the International Labour Office [3] estimates the presence of 214 million migrants, with more than half of these being economically active. This article will provide a brief overview on the migrant working population, before reviewing some of the pertinent physical and psychosocial risks faced by this group of workers. The article ends by reviewing some of the work-related health and accidents outcomes. Interventions and practice involving migrant workers are not addressed in this article as they have been covered elsewhere.