Migration and Rural-Urban Linkages in Ethiopia

Table 11: Reason for absenceFrequency PercentageOrdinary social visit 6 46Education 2 15Armed forces 1 8Health treatment/seeking health treatment 1 8Manual work 1 8Studying 1 8Other 1 8Table 11 shows that social visits were the most common cause of absence amongst thesmall number of absentees. It is also notable that absence employment is very rare inYetmen.Table 12: Location where household members would seek workFrequency PercentageThis village 710 85Urban area of this wereda 30 4Urban area of this region 29 3Rural area of this ward 17 2Addis Ababa 16 2Rural area of region 13 2Rural area of this wereda 6 1Major city of this region 6 1Non-neighbouring country 3 0Other rural area 1 0Respondents were asked if they were seeking work where they would go. Table 12suggests that the wish to work outside is much more common in Turufe than in Yetmen,where eighty-five percent of responses indicated looking for employment within Yetmen.Of those who indicated that they would look for work outside the village, the mostcommon locations were local towns, with only two percent considering Addis Ababa.Imdibir: In-migration trendsMost Gurage migrants return to their rural home at least once a year during Meskel, andthey often come with cash and in-kind gifts. They also respond to any crisis faced bytheir parents or close family members. Those who are members of the family and livingin the region will also help with whatever they can afford. In times of crisis, friendship,neighbourhood, kinship and lineage are all important.Migrants to the village over the last five years mostly include migrants who wereengaged in the informal sector, and evicted due to urban land and trade regulations inAddis Ababa and other secondary cities. The return migrants reported that they used toearn income by selling second-hand clothes, newspapers and magazines of the free press.The return of demobilised soldiers and evicted Gurage merchants was also observed due35