New report reveals over 700 allegations of migrant worker abuse linked to nearly 600 firms
Some major global corporations are being linked to widespread alleged cases of migrant worker abuse in the past year, and are being encouraged to double down on their human rights commitments.
The Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRC) named Meta, Adidas, Levi Strauss, LVMH, and VF Corporation among the organisations with the highest number of abuse cases linked to them.
They are included in the 584 named firms that are involved in 747 allegations of migrant worker abuse recorded in 2025.
Recorded abuses include wage theft, occupational health and safety violations, intimidation, and forced labour indicators, according to the BHRC, which found that 47% of cases see three or more types of abuse occurring at once.
"Across sectors and geographies, migrant workers are being subjected to severe and systemic human rights violations, from widespread wage theft and violence, to conditions of forced labour," said Catriona Fraser, Migrant Workers Researcher, BHRC, in a statement.
"These abuses are not isolated failures: they are the result of extractive business models that prioritise profit at the expense of human rights, including by pushing risks down opaque supply chains through subcontracting, poor purchasing practices, and weak oversight."
The ongoing technological revolution and energy transition are also creating new and diverse harms for migrant workers, according to Fraser.
"Companies can tackle these risks by moving beyond tick-box approaches and conducting human rights due diligence that centres the experiences of migrant workers," she said.
"The largest multinationals at the top of global value chains have the power and responsibility to drive this change and ensure just and equitable tech and energy transitions."
Widespread inequality
The report noted that "stark global inequalities" were present in its findings, saying that 80% of abuses were linked to Global North-headquartered companies, yet 95% of cases impacted employees who come from the Global South.
In the United States, companies that were headquartered there were linked to abuse 267 times, almost four times more than the companies headquartered in the United Kingdom.
The centre said the sharp escalation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the US led to cases of migrant workers reporting arrests and deportation while experiencing human rights violations at the hands of their employers.
Fraser said their findings should be a "wake-up call" to many companies operating in the US.
"When protections for migrants are being eroded while immigration enforcement escalates, businesses must be alert to the increasing risk of abuse and ensure their operations and supply chains are not compounding harm," the researcher said.
"Firms must double down on implementing their human rights commitments in practice, ensure safe access to remedy regardless of migration status, and defend the institutions and initiatives that underpin responsible business."
