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Disposable medical gloves, indispensable migrant workers
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RSC; Migration Policy Centre; MigResHub; Think Pieces; 2020/02
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KHADKA, Upasana, Disposable medical gloves, indispensable migrant workers, RSC, Migration Policy Centre, MigResHub, Think Pieces, 2020/02 - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/70316
Abstract
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the visibility of the contributions of migrant workers, including those engaged in lower-skilled work in essential sectors. Migrant workers play a key role in the systemic resilience of health care supply chains producing the protective and personal equipment (PPE) that is critical in dealing with health emergencies. According to the WHO, the global shortage of PPE is one of the most urgent threats to the efforts to contain the coronavirus.1 Malaysia supplies 65% of the global demand of disposable gloves2 and as the fifth largest producer of natural rubber accounting for 20% of the global rubber production, it has been able to leverage its comparative advantage in this sector.3 The sector is labour-intensive and estimates by the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers’ Association (MRGMA) show that of the 71,800 workers employed in this sector, 61% are foreign workers.4 As a major supplier of PPE that has experienced a spike in global demand, the resilience of Malaysia’s glove production amid the pandemic also translates into global resilience of this essential good. This makes it an interesting case study for the discussion on migration in the context of systemic resilience.
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With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union