Labour outmigration, economic crisis and return migration: a policy dilemma

As the economic crisis is increasing it is indeed affecting all walks of life in the world - no matter whether it is migrant workers or native workers in the receiving countries but also the migrants' dependent families back home. With the increasing economic downturn crafting inclusive and right based policies to handle the crisis is becoming complicated. It is more complex than expected because policies derived only from the perspective of receiving countries would not be fair. In one way, the workers have been migrating due to their own situation such as poverty, unemployment and low incentive from agriculture in their home countries but in other way they are an important element for the economy of receiving countries as well.

Based on my observation and my ongoing research on migrant families in Nepal, the migrant workers who are primarily working in Gulf countries and the countries of Southeast Asia like Malaysia are generally considered as working in 3D (dirty, difficult and dangerous) condition, the unskilled sector. It is apparent that these lower class jobs would not attract native workers even if they get unemployed because they were not willing to do these kinds of jobs so the migrants were able to fill in over the past decade. So, as natives are becoming unemployed and are starting to look around for jobs, they are bound to be frustrated when they will see migrants – especially temporary migrants – working while they are on the dole. At best, this would further create a financial pressure to the governments (of the developed countries) as the unemployed natives would be entitled for unemployment benefits. At worst, this may create an anti-immigration feeling to the native workers. This can be the situation of receiving countries if they encourage foreign workers to return home.

The situation in the source countries like Nepal would become more traumatic. This is because the economic crisis does not only affect the industrial countries but also to the developing countries in the world whose economy also depends on the market. The initial signs are already seen as the market price has been exponentially increasing, especially of the imported goods. The price of food produced within the countries is also increasing. It also applies to the agricultural inputs to the farming households that increase their food production costs. In the worst case, the farmers may leave out agriculture due to lack of capacity to invest. Researches already showed that labour migration is one of the most important livelihood diversification strategies adopted by the farming households. Remittance provides good source of resilience of such households as a considerable part of remittances are used for agriculture and household consumption purpose. In other words, remittance receiving households tend to be more food secure, especially in a situation of extreme poverty. Child education is another major sector of remittance use. Some of my respondents are found so much worried if their husband would return back due to economic recession. They are praying for the god that the companies where their husbands are working would not be affected so that they could work till the time they want.

In this situation, labour migration is a highly complex issue that has a big influence on two socioeconomic and political spheres. A single migrant may have a number of dependents back home and his failure may pose a questionable future to them. Hence, conventional approach of policy making just by looking at the situation of migrants and his/her destination may put many rural flocks into more vulnerable condition, which are already miserable as compared to the developed world.