According to a study by the World Development Report, Indians working overseas have seen a surge in their income of around 120%, compared to a 40% increase due to internal migration.
Low-skilled Indians who migrated to the United States saw the most significant gain in income at around 500%, followed by those from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
However, people migrating to the Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) nations such as Oman, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain are likely to see a lesser income gain.
The report, titled Migrants, Refugees and Societies, noted that skills, destination, language ability, and age play crucial roles in determining income.
Highly-skilled workers such as engineers or doctors experience much higher gains, but low-skilled workers also see multi-fold jumps in their income.
The study found that migration leads to large wage increases for most people whose skills and attributes match the needs of the destination society.
These gains often exceed what could be achieved in the country of origin, even from internal migration to relatively better-off locations.
The gains are so large that, at current rates of economic growth, it would take decades for the average low-skilled person working in some countries of origin to earn the income they achieve by migrating to a high-income country.
The report also mentioned that the gains are then shared with families and communities in the countries of origin through remittances.
The study identified 184 million migrants around the world, with approximately 37 million refugees, categorized 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 identified among the top migrant corridors.
The report highlighted that migration comes at a cost for people moving countries in search of employment.
Indians moving to Qatar spend an average of two months' earnings to meet the migration cost.
Similarly, the cost is a little higher to settle in Kuwait, while a Bangladeshi migrant will have to spend approximately nine months.
The study also found that remittances from some countries contributing to large migrant populations, including India, have increased. Indian migrants in the UAE send around 70% of their income to their family.
