E/CN.4/2005/85/Add.4 page 6 sources that put the number of Peruvians abroad at over 2.5 million, or around 10 per cent of the total population of Peru. The statistics provided by the Department of Migration and Naturalization show an increase in the number of Peruvians who left the country during the period 2002-2003, particularly to go to South America, in equal numbers for both sexes. 14. Traditionally, the main destination for Peruvian emigrants has been the United States of America, which at the present time reportedly has approximately 1 million Peruvians on its territory. The first major movement of Peruvian emigrants to the United States and Europe took place during the first half of the twentieth century. During the 1970s, the oil boom in Venezuela made this country a new destination for Peruvian emigrants. Subsequently, Peru’s domestic armed conflict2 during the 1980s and 1990s and the profound economic crisis in the country at that time gave rise to flows of migrants to Australia, Canada and Japan and to European countries like Italy and Spain. Within the region, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile are the countries with the biggest influx of Peruvians. 15. The Deputy Minister of Labour informed the Special Rapporteur that Peru had a population of more than 27 million inhabitants and an economically active population of 11 million, to which some 300,000 young people were added each year. The Deputy Minister explained that, despite the economic growth of the last four years, rates of unemployment (10 per cent), underemployment (55 per cent) and “informal employment” (employment in the underground economy, 60 per cent) remained high.3 16. According to information provided by the Department of Migration and Naturalization, the sectors of the workforce most likely to emigrate in the period 2000-2004 were young people between the ages of 25 and 29, as a result of the difficulties they encounter in obtaining access to the labour market, and individuals between the ages of 40 and 49, because of the termination of employment contracts in this sector of the active population. The consular authorities confirmed the employment-related nature of Peruvian emigration, citing the shortage of jobs as the principal cause of emigration by Peruvians seeking to provide for their families. Young people with vocational or academic training were the population group applying for most visas. 17. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Special Rapporteur that Peru had signed agreements on regularizing the status of migrants with Argentina (in 1998) and Bolivia (in 2002), and similar agreements were being negotiated with Panama and Ecuador, while discussions had been initiated on the subject with Japan. Peru has completed or is involved in negotiations with various countries on consular cooperation on migration matters, student visas and short stays, labour migration, social security, recognition of driving licences and transit of persons. During the first half of 2004, an agreement was signed with Mexico with a view to taking joint action to regularize the nationals of both countries in an irregular administrative situation in the United States.4 18. As part of its migration policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs planned a series of activities in the short and medium term to create awareness and provide training for diplomatic and administrative officials in consular services, train migration officials to detect bogus travel documents, modernize the migration monitoring system, develop strategies for the integration of migrants in host countries, etc. Studies on migration, comparative studies of foreign legislation and compilations of best practices in this regard have also been planned.