Labour Migration to Libya - Remittances Amidst Conflict and Pandemic

This study presents key findings about remittances sent by migrants from Libya to their countries of origin, utilizing microdata collected from over 41,000 migrant interviews conducted in 2019-2020, including self-reported data on remittances disclosed by 13,738 migrants. One in three migrants interviewed by DTM Libya in 2019 and 2020 (33%) reported to have sent remittances to their country of origin from Libya, while a vast majority (83% interviewed during 2020) reported that they intended to send remittances. However, throughout 2019-2020 the proportion of migrants sending remittances from Libya and the amounts remitted declined steadily, both due to armed conflict and the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This decline is another facet of the difficult situation faced by migrants in countries in crisis in general and Libya in particular. Based on the self-reported microdata collected by DTM, a 15 per cent year on year decline in the amount of remittance sent per month by migrants in Libya was recorded from 2019 to 2020. The economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is projected to result in a 14 per cent global decline in the amount of money migrant workers will send home in 2021, and this could also negatively affect migrants in Libya. Therefore, a concerted effort towards improving the situation of migrant workers in Libya is needed via regulation of labour market and strengthening of social protection mechanisms available to migrant workers.