Damai Vergara-Hegi
Migration in the South Pacific: A World Bank Analysis Regarding the Impacts of COVID-19 on Labor Markets and Industries
The Social Protection and Jobs unit team for the South Pacific division at the World Bank acknowledges the vital role that pacific island migrant workers have in stimulating their local economies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly reduced employment and hindered regional labor markets. Throughout my internship, I assisted a team of World Bank economists in analyzing the impacts that COVID-19 had on occupations and industries in the South Pacific, contributing primarily to the World Bank South Pacific reports on Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea. Work permit and job vacancy data were collected and analyzed, with data visualizations created to highlight key trends. Further research via local sources was conducted to connect our findings to promote a narrative on the jobs and industries most at risk within migrant and host country partners including Australia and New Zealand, and how this contributes to the macroeconomic state in the region.