Economic Migration - Benefits
To what extent is economic migration a threat or a benefit to developed countries?
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. Migration can be international (movement between different countries) or internal (movement within a country, often from rural to urban areas). In this article we consider the impacts of migration on the individual, the place left behind by the migrant and the place hosting the migrant. We also consider the push and pull factors of migration. More people are migrating today than at any other point in human history. Migrants travel in many different ways and for many different reasons. People move in order to improve their standard of living, to give their children better opportunities, or to escape from poverty, conflict and famine. Today, with modern transportation and communications, more people are motivated and able to move.
People migrate for many different reasons. These reasons can be economic, social, political or environmental. Social migration involves moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be closer to family and friends. Political migration involves moving to escape political, religious or ethnic persecution, or conflict. Environmental migration – causes of this type of migration include natural disasters such as flooding or drought. In this essay, I will refer only to the economic migration which involves moving to find work or follow a particular career path.
The economic effects of migration vary widely. Sending countries may experience both gains and losses in the short term but may stand to gain over the longer term. For receiving countries temporary programs help to address skills shortages but may decrease domestic wages and add to public welfare burden. A Swedish Professor notes “The problem is not immigration; it is integration, especially in the labour market. If there are no jobs, the consequences are segregation, housing problems and divided cities” (Traynor, 2010).
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. Migration can be international (movement between different countries) or internal (movement within a country, often from rural to urban areas). In this article we consider the impacts of migration on the individual, the place left behind by the migrant and the place hosting the migrant. We also consider the push and pull factors of migration. More people are migrating today than at any other point in human history. Migrants travel in many different ways and for many different reasons. People move in order to improve their standard of living, to give their children better opportunities, or to escape from poverty, conflict and famine. Today, with modern transportation and communications, more people are motivated and able to move.
People migrate for many different reasons. These reasons can be economic, social, political or environmental. Social migration involves moving somewhere for a better quality of life or to be closer to family and friends. Political migration involves moving to escape political, religious or ethnic persecution, or conflict. Environmental migration – causes of this type of migration include natural disasters such as flooding or drought. In this essay, I will refer only to the economic migration which involves moving to find work or follow a particular career path.
The economic effects of migration vary widely. Sending countries may experience both gains and losses in the short term but may stand to gain over the longer term. For receiving countries temporary programs help to address skills shortages but may decrease domestic wages and add to public welfare burden. A Swedish Professor notes “The problem is not immigration; it is integration, especially in the labour market. If there are no jobs, the consequences are segregation, housing problems and divided cities” (Traynor, 2010).