UWI economist and senior lecturer Professor Roger Hosein has renewed his call for the government to incorporate migrant labour into the country’s official workforce.

At a post-budget forum hosted by the University’s Economics Department this afternoon, he said while over 16,000 migrants have been registered by the government, many more are not.

He explained if all are not registered, it creates a skewed labour market participation, which in turn has a negative effect on output and employment.

Professor Hosein added that the situation can also affect the stock of forex reserves.

The Professor said crime must also be addressed to increase confidence in the economy.