ABSTRACT
In the context of university-diploma drain from Latvia, this article analyzes how labor market integration and attachment to the host and home countries of highly skilled Latvian emigrants in Europe shape their intentions to stay abroad or return to Latvia. The study is based on a quantitative analysis of survey data (n = 820). The results of binary logistic regression analyzes reveal that close ties with Latvia have a significant positive effect on return intentions, and that the return intention of economically-active highly skilled Latvian migrants is mostly a non-economic phenomenon.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Activity 1.1.1.2 “Post-doctoral Research Aid” under Grant No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/012, Project: “Migration of highly qualified specialists: emigration and return migration in Latvia.”
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Inese Šūpule
Inese Šūpule is a sociologist and researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Latvia. Her fields of expertise are ethnic studies, migration, society integration, education, language use and knowledge, and ethnic politics.