Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

Social impact and psychological wellbeing
relatively few studies examine the psychological
and social implications of labour migration for
‘transnational’ families. In nepal, the predominance
of male labour migration is associated with an
increase in cases of divorce and elopement (pandey
et al., 2012). concerns have especially focused on the
psychological welfare of the children of migrants and
on the social consequences for families and youth. In
the philippines, where international labour migration
is a long-established phenomenon, there seems to be
no major difference in the psychological wellbeing of
the children of migrant or non-migrant parents. In
other asian countries, such as Indonesia or vietnam,
negative effects have been observed. this is not to
argue that non-migrant families represent an ideal,
but that parental migration may have long-term
implications that social policies may need to take into
account. cultural and social norms and how labour
migration is perceived, as well as whether there are
adequate support structures for those left behind, are
factors that influence the effect of parental migration
(Graham and Jordan, 2011).
In sum, while the findings depend on the
socioeconomic circumstances in the sending
country, the costs of migration and the question
of who can migrate, and although the costs and
risks should not be downplayed, overall the impact
of labour migration seems generally positive for
the migrants and their families. In particular,
the negative economic impacts for migrants and
sending countries tend to be small and are often
outweighed by the positives of higher income and
remittances. thus, creating more opportunities
for low-skilled workers to migrate, facilitating
their access to labour markets and reducing the
associated costs, could provide immense gains
for the labour migrants and their families as well
as through wider macroeconomic effects. these
measures would also make the gains from labour
migration more inclusive, although policies to
govern labour migration should seek to avert the
potential negative social implications.
9.2.2 The impact of labour mobility
on receiving countries
political debates in migrant-receiving countries
often focus on the perceived economic burden
of immigration, characterised by a loss of jobs,
lowering of wages, strains on public services, social
tensions and increased criminality (unDp, 2009).
this is particularly true at times of economic
downturns. Yet empirical findings show a more
nuanced picture of the impact of labour migration
on host economies and societies, and strong
contextual variations. although there are some
negative aspects, many of the concerns and fears
are based on misconceptions. at the same time
it is important to acknowledge that while there
can be economic gains for receiving countries,
these are not equally distributed and that the
immigration of low-skilled workers may benefit
some people but disadvantage others. First, the
effects of labour migration on the labour market,
especially on wages, depend on the skill structures
of migrant and local workers (Dustman et al.,
2008) and on whether there are policies to regulate
migrants’ working conditions. the ‘inflow of low
or semi-skilled workers to a developed country
might reduce the real wages of its own lowskilled
workers, [yet] their presence might at the
same time be to the advantage of highly skilled
workers and the economy more generally, as
both stand to benefit from lower prices for goods
and services provided by the migrant workers’
(Iom, 2008:43). In economies with relatively
flexible wage structures, such as the uSa, there is
some evidence that the additional labour supply
depresses the wages of workers with the same
broad level of education (borjas, 2003). this can
also be the case when migrants do not complement
the existing workforce (muenz et al., 2006). Where
wages are less flexible, as in much of Europe, the
impact of migrant labour tends to translate into
higher unemployment (muenz et al., 2006). these
negative impacts often most affect existing migrant
workers (brueckner, 2012), particularly youth. the
exact impact on real wages is strongly disputed,
poSt-2015: Global actIon For an IncluSIvE anD SuStaInablE FuturE
Political debates
in migrantreceiving
countries often
focus on the
perceived
economic burden
of immigration.
Yet empirical
findings show
a more nuanced
picture of the
impact of labour
migration on host
economies and
societies, and
strong contextual
variations.
177