The World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies was released by the World Bank.
Key findings
- Migration leads to large wage increases for most people whose skills and attributes are a strong match with the needs of the destination society. These gains often exceed what could be achieved in the country of origin, even from internal migration to relatively better-off locations.
- Indian workers see a 120% rise in their incomes outside India, while internal migration within India will only add about 40% to personal incomes.
- A low-skilled Indian worker is likely to see a whopping 500 percent rise in income in the United States. The United Arab Emirates is the next favourite destination for low-skilled workers, who can earn 300 percent more than in India.
- The World Bank proposed policies for better migration management in destination, transit and origin countries, underscoring its urgency.
- Moving abroad is even more rewarding for low-skilled workers from less developed and developing countries such as India.
- The report discussed the migration trade-offs using a “Match-Motive Framework”.
- The “match” aspect is grounded in labour economics and focuses on how well migrants’ skills and related attributes match the needs of the destination countries.
- The “motive” refers to the circumstances under which a person moves in search of opportunity.
- By combining “match” and “motive,” the framework identified policy priorities for countries of origin, transit and destination and the international community.
