Of Roads Less Traveled : Assessing the Potential of Economic Migration to Provide Overseas Jobs for Nigeria’s Youth
Nigerians are not only creating a vibrant and dynamic society within Nigeria but are also leaving their footprint across the globe in diverse fields ranging from medicine to movies, and from literature to diplomacy. The main purpose of this report...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/727521626087761384/Of-Roads-Less-Traveled-Assessing-the-Potential-of-Economic-Migration-to-Provide-Overseas-Jobs-for-Nigeria-s-Youth http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35995 |
| Summary: | Nigerians are not only creating a
vibrant and dynamic society within Nigeria but are also
leaving their footprint across the globe in diverse fields
ranging from medicine to movies, and from literature to
diplomacy. The main purpose of this report is to aid
discussion on creating new labor migration pathways for
overseas employment of Nigerians. It aims to support the
Government of Nigeria in filling critical information gaps
to comprehensively shed light on the issue of international
migration. Using available data from secondary sources, it
places international migration within the broader labor
market context in Nigeria, carefully stressing the push and
pull factors that lead to both regular and irregular
migration and makes the case for why more structured regular
migration will be one of the crucial ways in which Nigeria
can support education to work transition for young and
aspiring Nigerian jobseekers. The report synthesizes the
available evidence to understand the stock and flows of
international migrants from Nigeria, major countries of
destination, and key areas of vulnerabilities while
identifying gaps in evidence to inform decision-making. The
final contribution of this report is that it comprehensively
assesses the institutional framework governing labor
migration at the Federal level in Nigeria, underscoring the
various stakeholders involved in the process, and
underlining key gaps that are hampering Nigeria’s ability to
enhance the benefits and reduce the costs from international
migration. This report is structured in three parts. The
first part looks at the broader labor market setting in
Nigeria, along with the economic and demographic context, to
highlight specific drivers of increased migratory pressure
in recent years before postulating that the recent surge in
irregular migration is a direct consequence of worsening
joblessness combined with lack of regular channels for youth
to find employment in other countries. The second part
presents an analysis of the trends and patterns of
international migration from Nigeria to provide insights on
the characteristics of international migrants and their
contribution to Nigeria’s economy. The third and final part
highlights how international migration is increasingly being
used as an employment strategy by developing countries and
how despite the significant increase in remittance inflows,
there is lack of an organized structure that promotes better
migration management and facilitates safe and remunerative
migration from Nigeria. |
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