The facts of return migration in the wake of COVID-19: a policy framework for reintegration of Pakistani workers

ABSTRACT

The present study investigates the adverse impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on overseas migration of Pakistani workers - both outflows and return flows. The key objective is to propose a policy framework for successful reintegration of return migrants in their origin communities. The findings reveal that around 2 million overseas Pakistanis have been affected due to COVID pandemic; 1.6 million could not go abroad and another 0.3 to 0.4 million had to return back only from the Middle East. The reintegration measures by the Government of Pakistan were mainly made on a smaller scale and most of the returnees lack information on governmental support and follow-up mechanisms. Our proposed reintegration policy framework suggests that intending or potential migrants and their families need to be educated about their reintegration or resettlement in home communities when they plan for overseas employment. The prudent use of remittances by directing them to productive investment will not only ensure successful reintegration of returning workers but will also promote entrepreneurship in the country, creating more job opportunities. The support by the government and enabling factors (district-level opportunities) will ensure various aspects of reintegration, including economic self-sufficiency, social stability, and psychosocial well-being of return migrations.

KEYWORDS:

• Overseas migration
• COVID-19
• return migration
• reintegration
• Pakistan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The growth-employment elasticity suggests that Pakistan requires around 7–8% growth to absorb the rising labour force.

2 A policy framework for the reintegration of workers returned from overseas employment is presented in Section 7 of this study.

3 It appears from the available statistics that after the lifting of COVID-19 related restrictions, emigration of Pakistani workers to the GCC countries is back on track; more than 0.8 million workers were placed abroad in 2022, mainly to the Gulf states.

4 The last labour force survey was carried out in 2019–20.

5 We could not access the data of returning workers who registered themselves with the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC).

6 The population growth rate is estimated by using 1988 and 2017 Census data.

7 The PIDE Reform Agenda for Accelerated and Sustained Growth, April 2021.

8 The study was conducted right after the pandemic in September 2020 so there was uncertainty about return migrants. We developed the three variations while consulting with the experts as well as the workers residing in the Middle East.

9 For details see https://www.weldo.org/about.php.

10 For details see https://tvetreform.org.pk/reintegration/.