Return Migrants and Economic Re-integration in Rural West Bengal, India

Abstract

Return migration is relatively understudied. Return migrants are “the persons who are returning to their country of citizenship after having been international migrants in another country (both long-term and short-term migration) and who are intended to stay in their own country at least for a period of one year” (UNSD, 1998). We aim to understand how return migrants from different socio-economic backgrounds re-integrate into the economy of their society of origin. The study is based on a survey carried out in West Bengal, India. A drastic change has been noticed in the economic activities of the return migrants. At the destination, about 6 percent of the migrants used to work as causal labourers, which reduced to 2 percent after the return. Similarly, a rise ie self-employment was clearly visible among the return migrants. Re-integration after their return was a major challenge for these returnees. Less than 3 percent of returnees could use the skills gained abroad. It was evident that the standard of living among the return migrants was higher when they were working at the destination compared to the present situation at their place of origin, even when they are doing the same job.