15 countries that depend most on migrant labour

Last updated on September 20th, 2025 at 06:50 am

Global labour markets are increasingly interconnected. Despite the other disputed side of migration in different parts of the globe, especially in European countries and the US, migration also helps in filling labour shortages.

In 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that there are some 167.7 million migrants participating in destination countries’ labour forces. This is certainly a sizeable number. Let’s take a look at some countries that depend most on migrant labour in 2025. Dive deeper into global migration trends in our Migrant Worker column

Reasons for some countries relying more on migrant labour

From assessing the list of countries in this article, a number of common factors stand out:

a. Population size and demographics

Many of the countries listed are home to a small number of locals. But there are large construction, infrastructure and hospitality sectors across the country that demand labour that locals are possibly unable to fill in sufficient numbers.

b. Economic structure

In most of the countries listed in this article, domestic labour supply is quite limited. Therefore, these nations often import foreign labour from nearby regions or far beyond. This is especially true for economies highly dependent on oil/gas, tourism, finances and construction.

c. Lack of domestic replacement

There has been a significant change in education standards and skills. But still, some countries are struggling to facilitate domestic replacement of their migrant labour. This could be because of socio-cultural reasons, salary expectations or demographic situation.

d. Policy and regulation

Migrant policies and regulations differ from country to country. In some countries, migration policies, labour regulations and immigration rules can encourage or require foreign labour. But some countries’ migration policies might not please all.

In a nutshell

It is quite understandable from this article that there are plenty of countries in different parts of the globe that are heftily dependent on migrant labour. Because of the change in global demographics, this reliance on foreign labour is likely to only increase in the near future. Consider look into our article on 5 Biggest Challenges Faced By Migrant Workers In Foreign Countries

You can also point in the direction of labour shortages increase, birth rates decline, better migration policies and rise in global competition for skilled labour for some countries’ increasing reliance on migrant labour.