Migration, repatriation, and their consequences.

The anguish of migration

Xong Ba Tua and Ly Y Sua (residents of Muong Long 2 village, Muong Long commune, Ky Son district) are only in their early twenties but already have two children. Earlier this year, due to unemployment and difficult economic circumstances, the couple left their children with their grandparents and went to Binh Duong to work. Their journey, which seemed to be a long one, was unexpectedly interrupted because...Covid-19 pandemicThe outbreak occurred, and both of them had to "escape the epidemic," traveling over 1000 km back home by motorbike.

In Muong Long commune, 229 people returned during this outbreak, of which 21 tested positive for Covid-19. This is perhaps the most challenging time for the commune authorities, as they must both effectively manage centralized quarantine and ensure disease prevention and control for the local population.

Mr. Ly Ba Xong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Long commune, said: "In the last 5 years, the number of laborers in the area going to work far away has increased significantly, and currently there are still about 1,500 laborers who have not returned. This is inevitable because the number of people of working age in the commune is increasing, but jobs are becoming scarcer, forcing them to go far away to find a livelihood."

Nghe An province has tens of thousands of workers employed in provinces across the country. Photo: MH.

Since April, Ky Son district has welcomed 4,000 workers returning from southern provinces. However, this number is only a small fraction of the more than 17,000 workers from the district currently employed in industrial zones in southern provinces. In addition, Ky Son has nearly 5,000 workers from other districts, towns, and cities throughout the province.

Mr. Le Hong Lap, Head of the Labor Department of Ky Son District, also stated: "In recent years, the number of Ky Son laborers migrating to work abroad has increased every year, with each year surpassing the previous one. Many of these laborers have only completed grade 9 before dropping out of school to work, and they are mostly manual laborers."

In fact, migrant workers have positive aspects, as they address local unemployment and job shortages. However, their return also creates pressure, especially in the current climate, because besides ensuring quarantine and disease prevention measures, the more pressing issue is job creation. Meanwhile, prolonged unemployment could lead to negative consequences such as a resurgence of deforestation and social ills.

Workers from Nghe An province return home after the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: MH

Throughout the province, from April to the present, over 78,000 workers from Nghe An have returned from epidemic-affected areas. Of these, 19,592 are of working age and have lost their jobs due to the impact of Covid-19, accounting for 25%.

Previously, according to a summary by the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, there are currently over 120,000 people from Nghe An residing and working in other provinces and cities nationwide; mainly young workers aged 15-35 (accounting for 65%), with female workers accounting for over 50%. These workers are primarily employed in factories, industrial parks, economic zones, export processing zones, and high-tech zones in fields such as electronics, garment manufacturing, footwear, or as self-employed individuals in major cities such as: Hanoi (5,313 people), Ho Chi Minh City (49,466 people), Binh Duong (26,231 people), Bac Ninh (14,000 people), Dong Nai (6,567 people), Hai Duong (3,249 people), Quang Ninh (6,000 people)...

Currently, Nghe An is also one of the localities with the highest number of migrant workers in the country. This labor migration trend has not only occurred in recent years, but has lasted for nearly 20 years.

The impacts

Migration is the movement of population from one country to another, or from one administrative unit to another. Internal migration, in particular, can be understood as moving from one district to another or from one province or city to another. Internal migration plays a significant role in population dynamics, especially in contexts where birth and death rates are relatively stable.

Workers from Nghe An province participate in foreign language interviews before going to work in Japan. Photo: Thanh Nga.

In Nghe An, according to the investigation results.populationIn 2019, the number of internal migrants (within districts, between districts, and between provinces) was nearly 80,000. This figure has fluctuated significantly compared to 2009. Notably, despite continuous population growth, migration is showing signs of decreasing in both quantity and rate, with migrants tending to choose migration destinations within their familiar areas.

Currently, the province has nearly 3 million people aged 5 and above. The number of migrants is 111,000, accounting for 3.7%, of which intra-district and inter-district migration accounts for 1.6% and 0.6% respectively; inter-provincial migration accounts for the lowest percentage at 0.5%. At this time, Nghe An remains a province with a negative net migration rate (-30.3‰) because the number of people emigrating to the province is greater than the number of people immigrating.

During the decade from 1999 to 2009, the increasing trend of migration was mainly due to policies encouraging migration to new economic zones. Migration also became increasingly common in the context of strong economic development, coupled with the shift in economic structure from agriculture to industry and services, as well as the boom in industrial and export processing zones. However, by the decade from 2009 to 2019, the successful implementation of targeted programs and socio-economic projects in localities, most notably the National Target Program for Building New Rural Areas, narrowed the economic gap between urban and rural areas, and between regions, thereby reducing the number of migrants during this period.

Statistics show that employment is one of the main reasons influencing the relocation decisions of inter-provincial migrants, while family reasons are the deciding factor for intra-provincial migrants. Specifically, the majority of migrants decide to move to a new place of residence for reasons of marriage (49.9%); following family/moving house (27.3%) or finding/starting a new job (12.4%). Of these, more than half (56.8%) of intra-district migrants and nearly half (46.7%) of inter-district migrants migrate for reasons of marriage.

Migration to other provinces is no exception, with reasons for migration including marriage (31.3%), seeking/starting a new job (29.8%), and following family/moving house (20.2%).

In reality, migration has both positive and negative impacts on both the destination and the origin. The positive impact on the origin includes resolving issues of surplus labor and reducing unemployment rates.poverty eradication, contributing to the development of their homeland. At the same time, it creates a source of quality labor when they return, because migrants working elsewhere will learn skills, improve their expertise, and especially develop soft skills in all fields.

Residents of Tan Ky district work at a factory in the area. Photo: MH.

For the destination area, migration can compensate for the shortage of skilled labor during economic restructuring and service sector development, as immigrant labor will drive the growth of other service industries in the destination area. However, excessive migration can lead to labor shortages in certain sectors and professions, hindering the implementation of economic restructuring plans and creating social consequences. For the destination area, migration puts significant pressure on infrastructure (electricity, water, transportation, healthcare, education, and environmental resources), creating a burden on social welfare and disrupting local planning. This situation is also occurring in many localities in Nghe An, especially currently when there is a high demand for labor in industrial zones and factories, but a shortage of available labor.

Surveys on the number of migrants entering and leaving the province also serve as a basis for assessing the quality and quantity of the province's labor force and for developing long-term solutions to build local economic and social development strategies. Migration fluctuations also impact population statistics and give rise to many new issues related to labor quality and population quality.