Publication: High-Skilled Migration from Myanmar: Responses to Signals of Political and Economic Stabilization
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Date
2024-08-21
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2024-08-21
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Abstract
In recent years, Myanmar has witnessed considerable economic and political instability, leading many young people, particularly the higher-skilled, to consider migrating abroad for improved prospects. This paper employs an innovative method to quantify migration intentions among high-skilled youth by analyzing the take-up of migration at different wage premia. A randomized survey experiment then evaluates how hypothetical political and economic stabilization scenarios impact these intentions. The findings show that 35 percent of the respondents would be willing to take a similar job abroad for pay equal to their current income. Randomization within the survey indicates that political stabilization would potentially reduce high-skilled workers’ desire to migrate by about 15 percent, especially among men, those living in high-conflict areas, and persons with lower absolute income but higher perceived relative income. In contrast, prospects of economic stabilization do not have a significant effect on migration intentions. In the absence of political stability and a reduction in conflict, economic stabilization is unlikely to reduce talent outflows among the young.
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“Ghorpade, Yashodhan; Imtiaz, Muhammad Saad; Han, Theingie. 2024. High-Skilled Migration from Myanmar: Responses to Signals of Political and Economic Stabilization. Policy Research Working Paper; 10878. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42079 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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