THE ANATOMY OF ECONOMIC MIGRATION
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)
The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 24 2006
A study by the International Association for the Study of Forced
Migration (IASFM) says currently some 350 000-450 000 Georgians are
working outside the country. This is 11-15 percent of the working
population in Georgia. The average monthly income for each Georgian
immigrant is USD 775, most migrants work abroad in order to support
their family at home.
The newspaper Akhali Taoba reports an IASFM a poll of approximately
1132 Georgians who had at least one family member living abroad.
The study revealed that 48 percent of the immigrants were unemployed
before going abroad.
80 percent of those living abroad used Western Union to send money
home. 14 percent are young Georgians studying abroad who did not
send money.
On average, each immigrant sends USD 180 per month to their family back
home. The largest individual monthly sums are sent from immigrants
living in the US and Greece while the smallest monthly amounts come
from Turkey and Armenia. For 56 percent of the Georgians with family
abroad, the main source of their income was from their relatives
working in other countries.
The study also reports that of those immigrants who returned to Georgia
after working abroad, only 19 percent of them were able to establish
successful businesses in Georgia. Four percent used the money they
had earned to pay for university expenses and 40 percent paid off
their debts (Most people borrowed money to fund their trip abroad).
37 percent of the immigrants from the study are unemployed again and
nine percent are working in jobs for which they are over qualified.
Despite everything, 65 percent of the immigrants stated they were
content working abroad.