Use of household surveys to reflect policy needs in EECA countries:

Practices and possible directions of future work

Workshop on Using Household Surveys to Improve International Migration Statistics

16 October 2012Geneva

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Outline

1. New policy targets in migration

2. Surveys in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to meet new policy targets

3. Possible directions of future work

1. NEW POLICY TARGETS

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1. New Policy Targets

• Traditionally – need to enumerate stocks of international migrants and monitor their changes (“flows”)

• More and more – need to design sophisticated policies based on various migrant characteristics

• Policies of today require information on:gender, age, skill level, family status, duration and frequency of migration

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1. New Policy Targets

• Administrative sources available with migration authorities are not enough

• Increased role of statistical tools, in particular surveys, to help policy makers design more targeted policies

• “Bridging gap” between statistical evidence and policy making

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1. New Policy Targets

• Statistical instruments have to be designed in such a way so as to capture:– Circularity of migration– Return migration– Impact of migration on migrant/household’s

well-being, including• Financial well-being• Career development • Psychological well-being• Social-well-being

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2. SURVEYS IN EECA TO MEET NEW POLICY TARGETS

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA – remittances

Remittances:

“Monies earned or acquired by non-nationals that are transferred back to their country of origin..” (IOM, 2011).

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA – remittances

Remittances:

•Has been a policy area in the region for the last two decades

•Tajikistan and Moldova have gathered considerable experience

•Ad hoc modules to the living standards measurement surveys – local level (Tajikistan)

•Stand-alone surveys in Moldova

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA – remittances

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Patterns and volume of remittances, methods of transfer, but also sectors of employment abroad, cases of irregularity, plans for future migration

Source: Patterns and trends of migration and remittances in Moldova, IOM, 2007.

2. Surveys conducted in EECA– return migration

Return migration:

“The movement of a person returning to his or her country of origin or habitual residence usually after spending at least one year in another country. This return may or may not be voluntary. Return migration includes voluntary repatriation.” (IOM, 2011).

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA– return migration

Return migration:

Tajikistan ad hoc module to Labour Force Survey 2009: •reason for return•experience in past migration•cases of labour exploitation•future migration intentions

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA – diaspora

Diaspora:

“…individuals and members or networks, associations and communities, who have left their country of origin, but maintain links with their homelands. This concept covers more settled expatriate communities, migrant workers based abroad temporarily, expatriates with the nationality of the host country, dual nationals, and second- /third generation migrants.” (IOM, 2011).

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA – diaspora

Diaspora:

-Georgia’s emigration module with 2002 census (characteristics but also time of emigration and intention to return)

-Moldova and Tajikistan 2012: diasporas in Russia (focus group interviews), partially household surveys

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2. Surveys conducted in EECA – diaspora

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Source: Tajik labour migrant diaspora communities in the Russian Federation, IOM, 2012

Difficulties in preparing representative samples of diaspora communities.

3. POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS OF FUTURE WORK

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3. Possible directions of future work

• Complexity of migration will only increase in the future (circular migration, seasonal migration, virtual migration?)

• Need to have flexible and relatively inexpensive statistical tools to capture migratory processes

• Ad hoc surveys are good and comprehensive but expensive and difficult to gather comparable data between surveys

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3. Possible directions of future work

• Way forward – maximally utilize existing national surveys to capture data regularly on most important parameters of migration

• Identify households with migrants (clear definition of “migrant” needed)

• Compare well-being of these migrant households across time and with other households without migrants

• Build dialogue with policy makers on data needs and correct data interpretation

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THANK YOU for your attention!

Questions/suggestions:

mmanke@iom.int

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