A World Bank report has estimated a 120% rise in the incomes of Indians working abroad and a 40% increase in incomes of Indians who migrated internally. The World Development Report (WDR) 2023 said that low-skilled Indians who migrate to the US could see a 500% jump in their incomes, while those settling in the UAE could see nearly 300% income rise. People migrating to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations – Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain are likely to see a lesser income gain.
The report, Migrants, Refugees and Societies noted that apart from skills, other factors such as destination, language ability, and age play a crucial role in deciding one’s income. The gains for highly-skilled workers such as engineers or doctors are much higher, but low-skilled workers are also witnessing a multi-fold jump in their income.
The study found that the world has 184 million migrants with around 37 million refugees. It classified the migrants into four types – refugees with skills in demand, economic migrants with skills that match with demand, distressed migrants, and refugees. India-US, India-Bangladesh and India-GCC have been considered among the top migrant corridors.
The WDR further noted that the migration comes at a cost for people moving countries for work. Indians moving to Qatar spend their two months’ earnings on an average to meet the migration cost; the cost is a little higher in Kuwait. It also noted the rise in remittances due to the large migrant population, such as Indian migrants in the UAE sending around 70% of their income to their family.
