THE PROS AND CONS OF MIGRATION

There are many arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of migration and how it has affected us locally.
Impacts on host countries
Positive
Job vacancies and skills gaps can be filled.
Economic growth can be sustained.
Services to an ageing population can be maintained when there are insufficient young people locally.
The pension gap can be filled by the contributions of new young workers and they also pay taxes.
Immigrants bring energy and innovation.
Host countries are enriched by cultural diversity.
Failing schools (and those with falling numbers) can be transformed.
Negative
Depression of wages may occur but this seems to be temporary.
Having workers willing to work for relatively low pay may allow employers to ignore productivity, training and
innovation.
Migrants may be exploited.
Increases in population can put pressure on public services.
Unemployment may rise if there are unrestricted numbers of incomers.
There may be integration difficulties and friction with local people.
Large movements of people lead to more security monitoring.
Ease of movement may facilitate organised crime and people trafficking.
Impacts on countries of origin
Positive
Developing countries benefit from remittances (payments sent home by migrants) that now often outstrip foreign aid.
Unemployment is reduced and young migrants enhance their life prospects.
Returning migrants bring savings, skills and international contacts.
Negative
Economic disadvantage through the loss of young workers
Loss of highly trained people, especially health workers
Social problems for children left behind or growing up without a wider family circle
What are the Effects of Increased Migration Locally?
An Oxford Economics research study published by the Department of Employment and Learning (DEL) concluded
that migrant workers had helped maintain an adequate labour supply to fuel the 20042008 economic boom. The
availability of migrant labour seems to have made the difference between some businesses surviving, or in the case
of food processing, not needing to relocate production abroad. (The authors quote a survey of 600 businesses
where 31% said that migrants were important in the survival of their organisation and this rose to 50% in health and
social care and agriculture.)
In addition the study indicated that migrants have

facilitated growth in the economy;

brought benefits to the tourism industry through the development of new air routes;

had a positive influence on the productivity or efficiency of local workers;

contributed new ideas and a fresh approach to firms;

and greater cultural links with developing nations that will prove useful in growing international trade.

The Economic, Labour Market and Skills Impacts of Migrant Workers in Northern
Ireland www.delni.gov.uk/skillsimpactsmigrantworkers
In addition to these economic benefits, incomers have helped the health and care services to continue functioning;
contributed to cultural diversity; and increased the vitality, especially of some rural schools.
Summary
It is clear that immigration can be beneficial for migrants, but only if their rights are protected properly. It can also be
economically beneficial for both countries of origin and host countries; however, with present economic and trading
structures it is the rich and powerful countries that benefit most. Migration brings social and cultural pressures that
need to be taken into account in planning for future services.
Migration also has the potential for bringing peoples together culturally but friction occurs if efforts are not made to
dispel the myths held by local people. It is also essential to provide good information about the local way of life to
newcomers and ensure opportunities for people to mix and integrate.
Where the economic preconditions exist, migration is inevitable. When people try to prevent immigration it just goes
underground.

https://www.embraceni.org/migration/the-pros-and-cons-of-migration/

The United Nations describes migration as the movement of a person or persons from one place to
another, involving a permanent (one year or more) change of address. Migration can be within a
country or to another.

Why Do People Migrate?

For economical, environmental, sociocultural or political reasons.

Migration can be voluntary or forced, temporary or permanent, national or international.

Population movements are driven and sustained by potential push and pull forces due to an imbalance
in economic activities and opportunities.

Push factors are features of the home area which creates pressure and so causes people to move
away. e.g. persecution, unemployment & poverty.

Pull factors operate at places outside of the migrants home area to attract individuals to a new location.
e.g. political asylum, a promotion, high living standards in another area.

Consequences Of Migration On The

Country Of Origin
Economic Impacts
Positive

The area benefits from remittences sent home.

Upon return, migrants bring new skills to the country such as the ability to speak foreign
languages.These new skills can help to improve the economy in the country of origin.

There is less pressure on resources such as food and social services such as health care.

Negative

Loss of young workforce; those with skills and those with entrepreneurial talents move, slowing
economic development.

Loss of labour may reduce inward investment by private companies, increasing dependencies on
government initiatives.

Social Impacts
Positives

Population density is reduced and birth rate falls as its the younger population who migrates. This can
help ease overpopulation.

Remittances sent home by economic migrants can be used to finance improved education & health
service.

Returning migrants increase social expectations for communities, for example, increasing demand for
better leisure facilities.

Negatives

Marriage rates fall and family structures break down as men migrate producing a generation of single
mums.

Lots of young people migrating out of the country can increase the dependency ratio.

Returning retired migrants may increase social costs on the community as support mechanisms arent
in place for them.

Migration of men and young families can cause a loss of cultural leadership and traditions.

Political Impacts

Policies to encourage natural increase can be developed.

Policies to encourage immigration to counteract outflow.

Requests for international aid.

Consequences Of Migration On The Host

Country
Economic Impacts
Positive

Migrants take up less desirable, menial jobs which natives would not take but need filling.

The host country can gain skilled labour for cheap.

There is a labour surplus; those with skills and education fuel the economy.

The skill gap in many host countries can be filled by migrants.

Costs of retirement can be transferred to the country of origin.

Negatives

Migrant children must be educated, they wont necessarily speak the native language of the host
country.

There is an over dependency in some industries on migrant labour, leading to a lack of jobs for people
native to the host country.

Much of the money earned by the migrants isnt spent in the host country and is instead sent back to
the country of origin.

More people increase the pressure on resources and services such as health care systems.

Social Impacts
Positive

The creation of a multiethnic society increases understanding and tolerance of other cultures.

There is an influx of new or revitalised services e.g. Kebab shops & Turkish baths.

People from other countries can encourage the learning of new languages, helping people develop
skills for working internationally.

Negatives

The dominance of males is reinforced (due to the large number of male migrants), especially in cultures
where women already have a low status.

Aspects of cultural identity are lost, especially in second generation children.

Segregated ethnic areas are created e.g. China Town. Schools become dominated by migrant children.

Political Impacts

Discrimination agains ethnic groups & minorities which can lead to civil unrest and extremism.

Calls for control on immigration.

Entrenchment of attitudes which may encourage fundamentalism.

Immigration Control
On The Mexico - USA Border

9,150 border control agents.

Use of electronic equipment such as heat sensors, night vision goggles, air vehicles & Black Hawk
helicopters.

Multiple operations to keep Mexican immigrants out; Operation Rio Grande in the El Paso; Operation
Gatekeeper in San Diego; Operation Hold-The-Line in El Paso; and operation safeguard in Tucson.

In Other Areas

Limiting the number of migrant workers at the source.

Insisting on boundary arrangements.

Preventing illegal crossings e.g. Sea patrols between Florida and Cuba.

Returning ineligible asylum seekers.

Use of holding bases for visa checks.

Jackson, Alex (n.d.). Migration. Geographyas.com. Retrieved Oct. 25, 15 from

https://geographyas.info/population/migration/

Philippine Migration
The current age of globalization has faded international borders and stimulated
multiculturalism. In this context, the Philippines is among the largest migrant countries of origin
in the world. Over the past decades, outward migration has shaped Philippine society in many
ways. Initially intended as a temporary measure to catalyze economic development, migration is
now a major contributing economic force. Since four decades, labour migration has had positive
and negative effects on the Philippines.
The effects of migration are not confined to the Philippine economy alone. Migration has
increased to over ten per cent of the Philippine population, or more than 10 million Filipinos,
changing the social and cultural climate of the country. While it contributes to the international
character of the Philippines, labour migration has torn Filipino seafarers and Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFWs) from their families for decades. Limited employment opportunities in the
Philippines encourage Filipinos to pursue a brighter future abroad. Apart from the financial

incentives, Filipinos migrate for their desire to live abroad, personal development and many
other reasons
The majority of the Filipino migrants are deployed to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
While the Philippine government seeks to ensure that the rights of Filipinos abroad are
adequately protected, the reality on the grounds is often very different. Migrants remain
vulnerable to exploitation and abuse including contract violations, sexual harassment, violence
and discrimination.
Philippine migration is becoming increasingly gendered. Domestic Workers, of whom 90 per cent
are women, accounted for one-thirds of the total 2012 deployment of new hires. Domestic
workers and other low skilled workers often work in an deregulated environment making them
extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Migration must be viewed through a gender
paradigm by addressing the specific vulnerabilities of men and women.
The Philippine government is internationally praised for its model of labor migration. As State
party to virtually all international conventions promoting the rights and welfare of migrants
worldwide, the Philippines attempts to ensure the safety of their nationals overseas . Moreover,
the government has enacted countless laws and policies protecting the right of Filipinos
overseas. Despite the governments effort to protect their OFWs and seafarers, many Filipino
migrants find themselves in a vulnerable position. The implementation of the laws and policies
have proved to be problematic, ineffective and reactive. Human and material resources
designated for OFWs are insufficient to ensure their safety and welfare.
As a strategy for development, migration has not achieved its desired affects. The Philippines is
reliant on remittances while national industries are declining. The brain drain inhibits genuine
economic development as more and more high educated professional leave the country to
perform low skilled jobs overseas and the transfer of technology is largely overstated.