Two Challenging Aspects of Emigration to Emigrants and the Host Country

Baumann Muller Esther

Institution:

Two Challenging Aspects of Emigration to Emigrants and the Host Country

The movement of people across international borders to permanently settle in other countries continues to pose a number of challenges to the emigrants and the host nations. Emigrants relocate to another country to escape political, social, and economic misfortunes. Another motivation for emigrants to relocate from their nations is the hope for more opportunities abroad, but this often leads to frustrations because they face worse conditions in the host nations. Initially, emigration provided a viable solution to host nations, mostly developed nations, by cutting down foreign aid to developing nations and relieving the pressure of an ageing labor force, while emigrants benefited by remitting money to their relatives back at home and secured new job opportunities (Jørgen, 2008). Despite the notable benefits of emigration, the increasing number of emigrants poses several economic and social challenges to the emigrants and the host nation.

Emigration pressures the labor market and raises the cost of living in a host nation. Employers exploit the labor market by capitalizing on the abundant, cheap, and flexible supply of emigrant labor to pay low wages and lay off native workers. The host nation suffers because companies limit their potential to compete in the global market by lowering investments on innovation and employee training due to high supply of wage earners. Unemployment cases increase, especially for native workers, when desperate emigrants accept low wages and the population of the nation increases due to enhanced emigration (Jørgen, 2008). The unskilled emigrants receive low wages that lower the value of labor and increase the prices for low-income consumer goods, thereby, increasing the cost of living. Emigration strains welfare support and public services in the health, education, and legal domain and forces the host government to levy more taxes to emigrants.

Emigrants endure several social challenges in the host nations. Some natives perceive emigrants as a threat to their national and social organization (Floracka, Piontkowskia, & Rohmanna, 2003). This negative perception creates hostility between the emigrants and the natives, especially, when the latter group feels that government policies favor emigrant issues. The locals fear that emigrants will alter or dilute the religious and cultural beliefs, national symbols, and experiences that unify their society. Segregation, discrimination, and inter-ethnic tensions may arise due to emigration and miscommunication between the many groups within the community. The host nation bears unnecessary costs to help integrate emigrants into the hostile communities and address the issue of racial intolerance.

Security concerns present another social challenge to emigrants and the host government. The host nation incurs costs to fortify its porous borders that sometimes facilitate the easy entry of terrorists, child traffickers, and war criminals. The deplorable living and working conditions in the host nation compels emigrants to engage in criminal and social misconduct such as carjacking and prostitution. These illegal activities, often conducted in the poor neighborhoods, lead to public dissent against emigration and compel the host government to take ruthless action against emigrants (Floracka, Piontkowskia, & Rohmanna, 2003). The growing ethnic tensions among emigrants and the native communities prompt foreign policy and security re-evaluation to avert potential civil strife in host nations.

The rising number of emigrants curtails the merits of emigration and poses numerous economic and social challenges to emigrants and the host nation. Emigrants relocate from their home nations to explore new opportunities and escape social, economic, and political tribulations. Emigrants often feel disappointed because they experience worse conditions in the host nations. Emigration disrupts the labor market and raises the cost of living at the expense of the emigrants and the host nation. Ethnic tensions arise between the native communities and the emigrants because the natives fear that emigrants threaten their original national and social identity. Emigration threatens national security and compels a host nation to incur unnecessary expenses to secure its borders and protect emigrants from ethnic hostilities and racial violence.

References

Floracka, A., Piontkowskia, U., & Rohmanna, A. (2003). Perceived Intergroup Threat and Attitudes of Host Community Members Toward Immigrant Acculturation. The Journal of Social Psychology, Volume 143, Issue 5, pages 633-648.

Jørgen, C. (2008). The Determinants of Migrant Remittances. Oxford Review Of Economic Policy, Volume 24, Issue 3, pages 581-598.