India Migration Report 2009

There are 25 million Indians (non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin) living overseas.

In terms of sheer numbers, that translates into a diaspora that's larger than the population of Australia. In recognition of the significance of this population, the Indian government has marked 7-9 January as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a yearly event dedicated to the diaspora that comes a few weeks after International Migrants Day, which falls on 18 December.

Against this backdrop, Jawaharlal Nehru University's International Migration and Diaspora Studies Project has released `The India Migration Report 2009: Past, Present and the Future Outlook', the first of its kind.

The country has a history of migration that dates back to the advent of sea trade that propelled Indians to emigrate to Africa and South-East Asia. With the expansion of British control, Indians were sent to the plantation colonies of the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean islands, South and South-East Asia, Africa and the Pacific.

Over the last two decades, Indian migration patterns are beginning to shift. The new Indian emigrant seeks different destinations and professions, sends more money back home and is also more likely to return. The new emigrant's destination From among member states of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the US is the biggest magnet for the new Indian emigrant. The UK, Australia and Canada are significant destinations as well.

However, the oil-rich West Asia remains the No. 1 destination for Indian emigrants.
East Asian countries such as Japan are new hubs for Indian emigrants, largely due to demographic factors. Japan has a low birth rate and an ageing population, which is leading to a shortage of young workers. In 2007, close to 6,000 Indians entered Japan.

While throughout Europe, the number of Indian migrants has risen, the levels of increase vary across the continent. The profile of the new emigrant Indians in North America are now predominantly highly skilled. Almost 80% of highly skilled Indian emigrants choose the US.

Canada is also a significant destination for the highly skilled; Indian migrants there are primarily engaged in sales and service.

In recent years, the demand for foreign health professionals has escalated in high income countries with the focus shifting from the West Asia primarily to the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.

Indian emigrants to the Gulf are now more likely to engage in high-skill jobs than ever before.

White-collar workers now comprise 30% of the total Indian workers in the region. Salary and remittances Data shows that highly skilled Indian migrants earn better than their peers. In the US, Indian male migrants' wages are the highest among all Asians.

The Indian disapora sends more money home than any other migrant group in the world.
According to the World Bank, over the last 35 years, remittances have grown steadily from $121 million (Rs550.55 crore today) in 1970 to $52 billion in 2008, more than the $49 billion sent home by Chinese living overseas. A transitory existence The information technology boom in the 1990s fuelled a wave of young, first generation Indian emigrants, the majority of whom headed to the US on a temporary basis.
Of late, the number of temporary worker entrants has grown due to policies such as the German green card, the British work permit and the US H-1B visa.

Government policies in many countries favour a continuous cycle of transitory migration that keeps the age-profile of their workers young. The new emigrant in a time of economic crisis Despite the fact that international migration has increased over the last few years, the economic downturn has inspired many countries to close their borders. In the short-term, migration is likely to decrease.

Visas to temporary migrant workers have been suspended in South Korea Malaysia has stopped work permits to foreign workers in manufacturing and services Thailand will neither issue nor renew work permits of about half-a-million foreigners Kazakhstan has imposed a moratorium on the admission of low-skilled workers Italy, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation have cut down on migrant visa quotas The UK is increasing academic and financial requirements for highly skilled migrants The US has announced that tax incentives to companies that outsource jobs will be stopped.

Source: India Migration Report 2009