In a September 22 report by S&P (Standard & Poors) Global Market Intelligence, Ng was quoted
as saying that cross-border Mexican migrants and commuters sent more money through
formal banking channels “rather than delivering them directly” by crossing the US-Mexico
border.
Sensing the surprising trends, economists Laura Caron and Erwin Tiongson wrote for “The
Conversation” on October 22 that immigrants are sending more money home despite job losses
in host countries, notably the US and Middle East countries.
Both economists saw the 8-month surges of remittances in Mexico and Pakistan while those
foreign funds owing to Vietnam and the Philippines “have held steady.”
Earning income
THE tales of Guco and the Laguts show their e orts to remain steady and healthy. They
illustrate how migrants worldwide try to keep themselves at bay, remain at work, stay healthy
and send money home.
Caron and Tiongson proferred ve reasons for the steady increase in remittances.
For one, migrant workers continue to earn income, getting employed in “essential businesses”
and essential sectors in host countries while migrant-receiving countries have o ered work,
temporary residence and even social services to foreigners, including irregular migrants and
asylum seekers.
A third reason would be stimulus spending by host countries, which Caron and Tiongson said
also bene ted foreigners, including permanent residents and naturalized citizens.
Sending incomes saved abroad as unemployed migrants anticipate returning to home countries
was the fourth reason. Fifth, there was an increase in digital transfers that shifted previous
remittance transactions through informal remittance channels.
Flow alternative
ECONOMIST Bilesha Weeraratne of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka credited the rise
of remittances in her country to remitted savings before return migrations. Weeraratne also
considered migrants’ receipt of incomes “as terminal employment bene ts.”
She added that migrants switched to banking channels instead of sending through the
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