Some Critical elements of the current migration pattern in terms of development
• Emigration (long term) declining trend, except for high skilled/tertiary educated persons
• Relatively low levels of voluntary return• High levels of remittances• High levels of deportation back to the Caribbean• Immigration is dominated by short stay (except
regional to Trinidad &Tobago, Antigua &Barbuda and Barbados)
Migration Rates for Selected Caribbean Countries (2001)
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Selected Countries
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In Migration rate
Out Migration rate
Jamaica: Extra-Regional Emigration by Decade 1970s-2000s
Jamaica: Labour Emigrants by types of employment to Canada and the United States 2000 – 2010
HIGH OUT-MIGRATION OF TRAINED PERSONS
Of the world’s top 21 countries for emigration per capita . . .
9 are members of CARICOM
Emigration of Tertiary Educated
• Of the World’s Top 24 Countries for presence of Tertiary Educated in OECD countries. . .
14 are CARICOM States
Factors Conditioning the Selection of Migration Destinations
• Selective immigration policies at the destinations
• Social capital chiefly through existing networks of friends and family
Jamaica: Households Receiving Remittances by Quintile
Remittances as a percentage of GDP (2009)
Caribbean: Immigrants as a percentage of population (2002)
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Selected Countries Total Population
Total Immigrants
Immigrants as percentage of total population
Antigua & Barbuda 76,896 23,602 30.7
Belize 240,204 34,274 14.3
Guyana 741,772 9,451 1.3
Jamaica 2,607,632 25,233 0.01
Montserrat 4,991 847 17.0
St. Kitts & Nevis 42,197 6,264 14.9
St. Lucia 157,490 5,080 3.2
Numbers of Immigrants Relative to the Total Populations of CARICOM Member States (2002)
Selected Countries Total Immigrants
CARICOM nationals as a percentage of Immigrants
Non-CARICOM nationals as a percentage of
Immigrants
Antigua & Barbuda 23,602 69.9 30.1Belize 34,274 1.6 98.4Guyana 9,451 37.9 62.1Jamaica 25,233 22.6 77.4Montserrat 847 74.8 25.2St. Kitts-Nevis 6,264 41.9 58.1St. Lucia 5,080 54.2 45.8
CARICOM and non-CARICOM Nationals in the Immigrant Populations of Select CSME Member States (2002)
Advantages and Disadvantages of skilled migration
The Up-Side• Freedom to choose life options • Enhancement of human capital • Maintaining open systems• Expanding environments • Expanded Opportunities for Trade in Goods
and Services • Immigrants stimulate economic growth• Remittances & alleviation of poverty
The Down-Side
• Net losses of human capital for development or maintenance of essential services in some states
• Erodes the training & replacement capacity• Recruitment creates “migration shocks”
• Short-term alleviation of economic, social and political stress but how should migration of highly skilled/educated be treated in terms of strategic medium term development planning?
Development options relating to migration
• Build capacities for Managing Migration of highly skilled/educated
• Return Migration• The Diaspora & social remittances
• Immigration• Focus on creating an enabling environment
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