What are the employment prospects for young Estonian and Slovak return migrants?

Abstract

This chapter addresses patterns of return migration in Estonia and Slovakia. It investigates the selection of emigrants who decide to return home and analyzes their characteristics compared to emigrants who remain abroad and to fellow nationals who did not emigrate, as well as the labor market status of young returnees after re-entering the domestic labor market. The comparative analysis of the two national Labor Force Survey samples suggests that among young returnees, level of education has no association with the decision to return home. An education–occupation mismatch affects the decision to return among young and highly educated Estonian migrants, whereas no such effect is found for young Slovak returnees. The analysis of post-return labor market status reveals that both Estonian and Slovak returnees are more likely to face short-term unemployment after re-entering the domestic labor market than are emigrants who remain abroad or people who stayed at home.

Determinants of Successful Labour Market Reintegration for Highly Educated Return Migrants in Slovakia

“…Dumont and Spielvogel (2008) argue that the different macroeconomic context in the home country and in the host country is a major determinant of the decision to return. This assumption motivated researchers to study an association between return migration patterns in response to the 2008/2009 economic crisis (Kahanec -Zimmermann 2016;Galgóczi et al 2012;Masso et al 2018).…”

“…Research focusing on the CEE region has also looked specifically at the influence of over-education in host countries' labour markets on return decisions or reintegration patterns. On an individual level, a mismatch between skills and jobs abroad, which has been severe for CEE migrants in the West (Voitchovsky 2014), has been identified as a key determinant of the return of Estonian migrants working in Finland (Pungas et al 2012), but also more generally (Masso et al 2018). Similarly, Currie (2007) found that Polish returnees commonly frame their decision to return to Poland within the context of frustration with limited labour market progress in the UK.…”

“…Co et al (2000) find that for Hungarian returnees, migration experience brings wage premiums only to women and not men. On the other hand, several studies document that returnees face a higher probability of unemployment or inactivity (Masso et al 2018;Smoliner et al 2012), but better-educated returnees and older returnees are less likely to be unemployed one year after return (Martin -Radu 2012). Martin and Radu (2012) find that the higher unemployment rate of return migrants one year after return disappears once the region of origin is taken into account.…”

“…Their approach indicates that the authors have been able to map more permanent patterns of migration and return. Masso et al (2018) used Labour Force Survey data to estimate the rate of return migration in Slovakia and Estonia. They found that in 2008 -2016, about 10 % of short-term work migrants returned to Slovakia, but this average rate of return was much lower than in Estonia.…”

“…On the other hand, returnees have higher wage expectations relative to stayers, which might complicate reintegration in lower-skilled occupations. The analysis of Slovak returnees' post-return labour market status shows that they are more likely to face short-term unemployment than are emigrants who remain abroad or people who have stayed at home (Masso et al 2018).…”