The Migrant Direct Care Workforce: An International Perspective

One major solution to the projected decline in the availability of direct care workers to provide long-term services and supports is to recruit and rely upon foreign-born or migrant workers. Most workers enter the host country through "unmanaged migration" routes potentially leading to financial, emotional, and physical exploitation of workers, and inadequate education and training that could jeopardize the quality of care delivered, and create significant care gaps in the country of origin. The implications of foreign worker and immigration policy to address the care demands of an aging world should be heeded by all countries.