Why in news?
Kerala Migration Survey, conducted by the Centre for Development Studies, released its report recently.
What are the findings of the report?
- There are 2.1 million emigrants from Kerala across the world, of which 15.8 per cent are women.
- The emigration from the state has shown a fall of 11.6 per cent in the last five years.
- It found that there has been a reduction of 3 lakh emigrants in 2013-18, which is one-tenth of the number of emigrants in 2013.
- The report attributes the following reasons for the dip in migration-
- Demography - Demographic advances have decreased population in the migration-prone age group (15-29 years) as Kerala attained replacement level of fertility as early as 1987.
- Wages - Wages in Gulf countries have not improved after the global economic crisis.
- It has led to lower savings and demotivating people to migrate.
- Kerala has the highest wage rate in the informal sector in India, and hence wages in Kerala have increased compared to other states.
- Price rise - Prices of oil have been declining since 2010 impacting the growth of the Gulf economy.
- Other sectors like Construction too are not as vibrant as it used to be.
- Nationalisation - Policies such as Nitaqat and family taxes in Saudi Arabia provides a non-conducive environment for current and prospective migrants.
- Increasingly, native youth are trained and employed in occupations that once went to migrants.
- Skilled migration – Of the total emigrants, 42.3% are graduates or have a higher qualification.
- Investment in education have made Keralites skilled and made them migrate to the developed economies in the West.
- People are also increasingly migrating to the West through the Gulf.
How emigration helped Keralites?
- Emigration and remittances have played a predominant role in enabling households in Kerala to meet their basic needs and to invest in assets.
- Migrants use over 40% of their remittances on purchasing land, construction and repayment of housing mortgage.
- One in every five households in Kerala has a migrant.
- Among religious groups, one in three households is a Muslim, one in five households is a Christian, and one in 10 households is a Hindu.
- The estimated total remittances to Kerala are Rs 85,000 crore.
- Remittances to the state have increased with Keralites in the Gulf climbing the social ladder and earning higher wages.
- With depreciating rupee, more can be remitted to families in Kerala than earlier.
- Hence, Even Non-emigrant families plan to send someone as a livelihood strategy to cope with the loss of assets and livelihoods.
- But the trend has reversed with emigration from Kerala is falling and return migration is on the rise.
- The long history of migration from Kerala to the Gulf is in its last phase.
Where does the future lie?
- Kerala faces replacement migration, which has close to 3 million migrants from other states who have replaced workers who have left for the Gulf countries.
- Impact of recent floods may find them leaving to their home states for better opportunities.
- This might require further migration and remittances to rebuild kerala.
- Also, demographic pressures like ageing might affect the local economy in the future.
- Hence, Kerala has to slowly move towards a new model from the remittance-dependent economy that it is today.
Source: Indian Express