Labor migration has surfed through the years as an international system which has changed the nature and dynamics of any sovereign state. The economic attraction of certain places with the opportunities they present and the financial returns they promise, lead people to move from their places of work or abode to these economically attractive locations. But with the establishment of the nation-state and the fully defined jurisdictional limits in a certain geographic location, citizens of a nation-state know where they are within those limits and assess themselves in comparison to those in other locations outside of their nation-state’s jurisdiction.

Couple this with the information of better economic promises outside of their location in a nation-state; they would then tend to migrate to those places outside of their borders. Labor migration, exists over time even before the emergence of modern nation-states. The difference lies only on the condition and the context where this phenomenon exists.

Labor migration provides the greater good for the country inasmuch as it also provides greater good for better personal finances. Here are some of the good it provides for the country:

Labor migration generates the dollars that our country needs for foreign reserves through the remittances of migrant workers. This is the reason why other countries call them modern day heroes. They generate the needed dollar reserves which our government needs for foreign currency transactions. These dollars that the foreign workers earn are converted by the national government into our currency and these dollars will be used by our government to pay for our financial obligations.  But other than the financial gain of the country by increasing the dollar reserves, it also provides high personal income of the family which could improve the lives of migrant workers in our country.

Working abroad adds to the number of those employed and cuts the rate of unemployment. While working abroad provides employment for our people, such opportunity, on the other hand, reduces the number of those without work. Such addition to the employment data is good for the country for it gives a better stature of the country.

Overseas employment provides the workers the avenue to gain skills while working abroad. This is called brain gain. The working experiences the worker was exposed and the new skills he or she learned abroad can be brought home and be relayed to others.

Conversely, Labor Migration likewise posits the following negative effects: 

Working abroad separates members of families. The family is one’s security. It is the source of encouragement and comfort in times of distress. But a worker outside the country loses such comfort from home though his or her going away to work though such employment is done for the benefit of the family who was left behind here. This presents difficulty for the worker since he or she will be away from his or her family. Homesickness and feeling of anxiety is one consequence which the migrant worker would later on have to overcome in order to survive working abroad.

Those who would opt to permanently migrate overseas, results in the loss of skilled workers. This is called brain drain. Rather than going home, overseas workers may have become comfortable working in the destination countries for over a long period of time. They may have become well adapted to the climate, society, and culture there, and have made good friends that they would rather stay in the country of work and later take their family there. This would present the loss of skills and even remittances for our country.

So considering these various implications of labor migration it would be prudent to consult our families about our decision to go abroad. Working abroad, though a personal decision, is actually a family matter since you will be away from your family. Your success in working abroad does not only depend on your capability to do the job but also on the support of your family. Homesickness could destroy such employment. It is better that the means and frequency of communication should be planned ahead of time. When something goes wrong, it is the family here who could give the support you need. Since they will also be the beneficiary of your employment abroad, they should be part of the whole decision, planning and long-term support of your venture outside the country.

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