Publication: Managed Labor Migration in Afghanistan: Identifying Host Countries for Managed Migration from Afghanistan
Date
2018-01
ISSN
Published
2018-01
Author(s)
Smith, Rebekah
Abstract
Foreign labor markets offer an excellent
opportunity to improve employment and income outcomes for a
country’s workforce. However, if a sending country’s
workforce abroad is overly concentrated in a few receiving
markets, it runs the risk of becoming dependent on
conditions within those markets for employment opportunities
and remittances for its workforce. A more managed migration
approach to select higher-income host countries promises
higher and more regular levels of remittances per capita
through more formal channels, with expectations of skill
improvements upon departure and after return. Currently,
Afghanistan’s workforce abroad is highly concentrated in
Iran and Pakistan. This paper proposes a methodology for
assessing potential expansion into new foreign labor
markets, and applies said methodology to potential new labor
markets for Afghan workers (including Malaysia, Europe,
Australia, Central Asia, and Turkey, and expansion in
Pakistan, Iran, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
countries). The findings indicate that GCC countries and
Turkey are the most viable markets for absorbing Afghan
workers in the coming years.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Smith, Rebekah. 2018. Managed Labor Migration in Afghanistan: Identifying Host Countries for Managed Migration from Afghanistan. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29272 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”