The rise of remote work might have unlocked an unexpected opportunity for refugees. A range of organizations are devoting time and attention to helping refugees work digitally for an employer in another country. The arrangement allows refugees and other displaced people to earn a higher wage than might otherwise be possible in their current location, without being resettled. The money refugees earn then stays in their local community, allowing funds to circulate. It is unclear precisely how many refugees and other forcibly displaced people work remotely for an employer in another country. But anecdotal evidence suggests the trend is on the rise, at the instigation of aid groups and digital employment platforms alike. This is an outgrowth of the years of investment in digital skills training for humanitarian migrants. For well more than a decade, various organizations have sought to aid refugees by offering education and training in coding, digital engineering, and other modern skills. Yet efforts kicked into high gear since the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, which prompted a broader rethinking about the tradeoffs of in-person versus remote work. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has partnered with multiple organizations to offer coding bootcamps and other efforts. Work arrangements need not be through an institutional structure, though. Gig economy platforms including Fiverr and Upwork permit people worldwide—including refugees—to contract for small digital jobs from anywhere in the world. Gig work offers a potentially higher income than in-person labor allows yet is also flexible for people in transitory situations. Still, digital gig work poses significant challenges. For one, many refugees have poor, unreliable, or expensive internet access, and forcibly displaced people are much less likely to have an internet-enabled phone. Some employers may also be reluctant to hire refugees, due to uncertainty about their future plans, potential liabilities, or other concerns. Moreover, the gig economy is inherently unpredictable, relatively unprotected by labor laws, and offers little opportunity for formal career growth. As my colleagues Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Meghan Benton wrote last year, these kinds of issues are particularly pronounced for refugees and other immigrants who have arrived in destination countries and are often ignored in formal policy discussions about regulating the fast-growing gig sector. At the same time, global attitudes on digital nomad visas—which offer legal status to migrants who work remotely for an organization based in their origin or a third country—have swung back and forth. While many countries have seen digital nomads as bearers of wealth that might boost local economies, some communities also worry that an influx of well-heeled migrants has made housing and other goods unaffordable. Seen together, the two trends gesture to both the promises and perils of a world where work no longer always needs to be performed in a specific location. Whether refugees and other displaced persons can more fully plug into the remote work future holds key implications for them, their host communities, employers, and an international protection system struggling with growing needs and diminishing resources. All the best, Julian Hattem
Editor, Migration Information Source
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