Should I move abroad or stay here? A question that has come in all of our minds at least once during our career path.
A recent report published by the World Bank answers that question.
What Does The Study Say?
A report published by the World Bank very recently, and named ‘Migrants, Refugees and Societies’ answered the withstanding forever question of why Indians who go abroad do not return even if they can get the prospect of higher salaries if they do.
It is because the Indians who settle abroad increase their income by 100% while the ones who stay back take almost 20 years to reach that point.
The report reveals that one of the primary reasons as to why people shift from their homeland to a country foreign to them is because of the difference in the wages of their origin and the destination country.
For example, a truck driver in Canada earns five times more than that in Mexico. Similarly, a nurse in Germany earns about 7 times more than the one in the Philippines. This large variation exists even after we adjust the variations in the cost of living.
In fact, it is not only the high-skilled workers who experience a multifold rise in their incomes but also the low-skilled ones. The report says that the incomes of inexpert workers who migrate from India to the United States ascent by a whopping 493%.
By foreign, we not only mean the US or other European countries. Indian citizens who shift to Middle-eastern or Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), see a 118% shoot in their income levels.
For instance, the incomes of Indian migrants who move to the UAE for work rose by 298% alone. Although these calculations do not adjust for purchasing power parity, there is no misinterpretation of the data.
This is so because almost all of the spending is done in the origin countries through remittances. For example, about 85% of the earnings of Indian migrants in the UAE are sent back to their families in India.
Adding on, the gains from income increase are only possible when people shift from low or middle-income countries to higher-income ones. The report claims that an Indian non-migrant would need as long as 24 years, filled with abundant economic growth, to share the same platform as an Indian who shifted to a high-income nation.
Read More: “Jealous, Envious, And Won’t Let You Succeed Either,” Influencer’s Comments About Indian Students Abroad Draws Flak
Are The Same Trends Observed For People From Other Countries Too?
Yes. It is not only Indian migrants who, when settling in developed countries, see a surge in their income levels and the subsequent standard of living, but people from underdeveloped or other developing nations also see the same trend when they follow suit.
The report reveals that international migrants from countries like Bangladesh and Ghana also observe a rise in their income, of about 210% and 153% respectively when they move to countries with a higher GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
Even the low-skilled and amateur workers from underdeveloped nations like Nigeria or Yemen, observe a 1,500% shoot in their salaries.
Just like a non-migrant in India, a non-migrant from Ghana would need approximately 43 years full of economic growth in their country to meet the level of the migrant who moved to a high-income nation, while a Filipino non-migrant would require almost 78 years.
Moreover, the report also adds that only 40% of all migrants return to their homeland. The factor on which their return depends is the destination where they have moved to. For example, all migrants leave the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Similarly, between 20% to 50% of them leave the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations within five or 10 years.
The percentage is lesser for the US (20%) and other high-income regions such as Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, lying at a combined 40% return rate.
Even the people who do return from these countries, are often better off than those who stayed, claims the report. Migrants who come back to their origin country get higher wages and better job opportunities.
This report clearly answers the question of why such a large proportion of Indian youth want to pursue their higher education abroad or settle there.
What are your opinions on this? Do you feel moving abroad is better than staying in your own country? Let us know in the comments below.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Economic Times, The Hindu, World Bank
This post is tagged under: migrants, abroad, foreign, countries, nations, high-income country, low-income country, middle-income, underdeveloped, developing, developed, nations, migrants, income, income level, India, Bangladesh, Philippines, USA, Europe, Canada, Ghana, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, GDP, Nigeria, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Gulf, Middle-east, World Bank, career, report, Germany, refugees, societies
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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