International migrant workers

International migrant workers are defined, for statistical purposes, as all persons of working age present in the country of measurement who are in one of the following two categories:

• (a) usual residents;
• (b) not usual residents, or non‐resident foreign workers.

The concept of international migrant workers is meant to measure the current labour attachment of international migrants in a country, irrespective of the initial purpose of migration, and of others who are not usual residents of the country but have current labour attachment in the country of measurement.

The terms “international migrant workers” and “international migrant and non‐resident foreign workers” are equivalent. They are defined, for statistical purposes, as all persons of working age present in the country of measurement who are in one of the following two categories:

• (a) usual residents: international migrants who, during a specified reference period, were in the labour force of the country of their usual residence, either in employment or in unemployment;
• (b) not usual residents, or non‐resident foreign workers: persons who, during a specified reference period, were not usual residents of the country but were present in the country and had labour attachment to the country, i.e., were either in employment supplying labour to resident producer units of that country or were seeking employment in that country.

From the perspective of the country of usual residence, category (b) of international migrant workers (not usual residents, or non‐resident foreign workers) may be called “residents working abroad”. From the perspective of the country of citizenship, resident citizens working abroad and non‐resident citizens working abroad (in the sense of being in the labour force of the country of their current usual residence) may be called “citizens working aboard”. Similarly, from the perspective of the country of birth, resident nativeborn persons working abroad and non‐resident native‐born persons working abroad may be called “native‐born persons working abroad”.

Guidelines on International Labor Migration Statistics, the 20th ICLS