Some Critical elements of the current migration pattern in terms of development

• Emigration (long term) declining trend, except for high skilled/tertiary educated persons

• Relatively low levels of voluntary return• High levels of remittances• High levels of deportation back to the Caribbean• Immigration is dominated by short stay (except

regional to Trinidad &Tobago, Antigua &Barbuda and Barbados)

Migration Rates for Selected Caribbean Countries (2001)

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Out Migration rate

Jamaica: Extra-Regional Emigration by Decade 1970s-2000s

Jamaica: Labour Emigrants by types of employment to Canada and the United States 2000 – 2010

HIGH OUT-MIGRATION OF TRAINED PERSONS

Of the world’s top 21 countries for emigration per capita . . .

9 are members of CARICOM

Emigration of Tertiary Educated

• Of the World’s Top 24 Countries for presence of Tertiary Educated in OECD countries. . .

14 are CARICOM States

Factors Conditioning the Selection of Migration Destinations

• Selective immigration policies at the destinations

• Social capital chiefly through existing networks of friends and family

Jamaica: Households Receiving Remittances by Quintile

Remittances as a percentage of GDP (2009)

Caribbean: Immigrants as a percentage of population (2002)

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Selected Countries Total Population

Total Immigrants

Immigrants as percentage of total population

Antigua & Barbuda 76,896 23,602 30.7

Belize 240,204 34,274 14.3

Guyana 741,772 9,451 1.3

Jamaica 2,607,632 25,233 0.01

Montserrat 4,991 847 17.0

St. Kitts & Nevis 42,197 6,264 14.9

St. Lucia 157,490 5,080 3.2

Numbers of Immigrants Relative to the Total Populations of CARICOM Member States (2002)

Selected Countries Total Immigrants

CARICOM nationals as a percentage of Immigrants

Non-CARICOM nationals as a percentage of

Immigrants

Antigua & Barbuda 23,602 69.9 30.1Belize 34,274 1.6 98.4Guyana 9,451 37.9 62.1Jamaica 25,233 22.6 77.4Montserrat 847 74.8 25.2St. Kitts-Nevis 6,264 41.9 58.1St. Lucia 5,080 54.2 45.8

CARICOM and non-CARICOM Nationals in the Immigrant Populations of Select CSME Member States (2002)

Advantages and Disadvantages of skilled migration

The Up-Side• Freedom to choose life options • Enhancement of human capital • Maintaining open systems• Expanding environments • Expanded Opportunities for Trade in Goods

and Services • Immigrants stimulate economic growth• Remittances & alleviation of poverty

The Down-Side

• Net losses of human capital for development or maintenance of essential services in some states

• Erodes the training & replacement capacity• Recruitment creates “migration shocks”

• Short-term alleviation of economic, social and political stress but how should migration of highly skilled/educated be treated in terms of strategic medium term development planning?

Development options relating to migration

• Build capacities for Managing Migration of highly skilled/educated

• Return Migration• The Diaspora & social remittances

• Immigration• Focus on creating an enabling environment