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Mahesh

18/06/24 12:12 PM IST

Decline in migration to Gulf, over 40% emigrants are Muslim

In News
  • The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 report was unveiled at the Lok Kerala Sabha, state government-constituted platform for Keralites abroad and in other states.
Key findings
  • The KMS 2023 estimated the number of emigrants from Kerala to be 2.2 million, slightly more than the 2.1 million recorded in 2018.
  • But the number of emigrants to return home has also gone up, from 1.2 million in 2018 to 1.8 million in 2023.
  • Preference for destinations beyond the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) has grown from 10.8% in 2018 to 19.5% in 2023.
  • This is in line with the declining trend seen since 1998, when GCC destinations accounted for 93.8% of Kerala’s emigrants.
  • RISING STUDENT EMIGRATION: Rising number of student emigrants, who do not prefer GCC countries for their higher education, could be behind the aforementioned shift.
  • In fact, it is students who have helped maintain the overall number of emigrants from the state even as there has been a decline in emigration among other populations.
  • They constitute 11.3% of total emigrants from Kerala, with overall numbers almost doubling since 2018 — from 129,763 to 250,000.
  • MORE WOMEN EMIGRATING: Women are another category of emigrants who have seen a rise in their numbers and proportion, up from 15.8% in 2018 to 19.1% in 2023.
  • They are generally better qualified than their male counterparts, with 71.5% women being graduates as against 34.7% men.
  • Around 51.6% of women emigrants work in the nursing sector.
  • Women also make up 45.6% of Kerala’s student migrant population. Around 40.5% of women emigrants are in Western countries, compared to only 14.6% of male emigrants.
  • NORTH KERALA SENDS MOST EMIGRANTS: Around 41.8% of emigrants hail from North Kerala, which is the home to a large section of migrants in GCC countries.
  • Tirur taluk in the Muslim-majority Malappuram district continues to send the most migrants abroad.
  • Central Kerala contributes to 33.1% of Kerala’s emigrant population, with migration to non-GCC destinations more prevalent. South Kerala sends 25% of the state’s emigrants.
  • OVER 40% EMIGRANTS ARE MUSLIMS: Muslims, who make up 26% of Kerala’s population (according to the 2011 census), make up 41.9% of the state’s emigrants.
  • For comparison, Hindus comprise 35.2% of the migrant population, even as they make up about 54% of the state’s overall population.
  • About 22.3% of Kerala’s migrants are Christians, who account for 18% of the state’s population.
  • GROWING REMITTANCES: Total remittances to Kerala saw a significant surge after the pandemic, reaching Rs 216,893 crores in 2023 from Rs 85,092 crores in 2018.
  • This marks a 154.9% increase since 2018, and amounts to a per capital remittance of Rs 61,118 for the state’s population of 3.55 crores.
  • Average remittance per emigrant household also increased to Rs 2.24 lakh in 2023, compared to Rs 96,185 in 2018.
  • The data show that migrant households spent remittances on a variety of things: renovation of houses/shops account for 15.8%, paying of bank loans account for 14%, educational expenses 10 percent, and medical bills 7.7%. 
  • INCREASE IN RETURNEES: The number of emigrants who have returned home has been growing over the decades.
  • The last five years has seen the largest increase of returnees — 495,962 individuals or 38.3% — in the history of Kerala migration surveys.
  • This, in no small part, due to Covid-19 pandemic-induced job loss.
  • Around 18.4% of respondents reported job loss as a reason for return, 13.8% cited low wages, 7.5% poor working conditions, and 11.2% illness or accident.
  • The desire to work in Kerala (16.1%), homesickness (10.2 %) and retirement (12.1%) were other key reasons.
Trends over last 30 years- The first KMS in 1998, had estimated that roughly 1.4 million Keralites had emigrated abroad.
  • This figure rose to 1.8 million in 2003, 2.2 million in 2008, and 2.4 million in 2013 before declining to 2.1 million in 2018.
  • The global Malayali diaspora is estimated to be 5 million, with another 3 million Malayalis living outside Kerala but within India.
Way forward
  • More and more Indian students are going abroad to study.
  • Findings from the KMS reflect this, with Kerala poised to become among the leading states when it comes to Indians studying abroad.
  • This comes with profound policy implications.
  • The study suggests that there is an urgent need to enhance the state’s educational infrastructure, and provide resources that ensure safe migration pathways for future student emigrants.
  • Regular monitoring and regulation of language training centres and recruitment agencies is crucial for reducing instances of deceit and fraud by agents.
  • It is also important to develop new policies that will encourage those studying abroad to return home after acquiring valuable skills, fostering a wave of “brain gain”.
  • At the same time, given that 76.9% of Kerala’s emigrants are labour emigrants, it is essential to improve and strengthen their skills to help them secure better employment opportunities and pay abroad.
  • This approach could also lead to emigrants choosing non-GCC countries, especially in the West, as destinations.
Source- Indian Express

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