Migration Diaspora and Development in the Caribbean Dr

Migration, Diaspora and Development in the Caribbean Dr. Keith Nurse Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas & Canadian Foundation for the Americas Zacatecas, Mexico October 2004

Diaspora and Globalization n n n Globalization of labour – more restricted than previous era of globalization Globalization of travel, communication, media & consumption style Globalization of higher education Globalization from below – “globalization in reverse” Deterritorialization of nation-states Proliferation of transnational communities, networks & hybrid identities

The Global Migration Context n The migratory flow of people from Developing Countries is driven by two global imbalances: n The widening socio-economic polarization (i. e. the widening income gap) between and within the countries of the North and the South. n n CULTURE OF EMIGRATION Labour shortages and demographic polarization in terms of the relative ageing of the population of the North, the looming generational crisis. n REPLACEMENT & LABOUR MIGRATION

Diaspora & the New International Division of Labour n Labour importation is the flipside of the relocation of production (sectors not yet mechanized): n n n Export-oriented manufacturing & services Export processing zones or Maquiladoras Labour importation supplies sectors that are not able or yet ready to migrate: n n n Agricultural jobs Personal, education & health services Science & technology, IT & technical skills

Remittances: Sending & Receiving Countries, 2002 n Sending Countries n n US $28. 4 bn Saudi Arabia $15. 1 bn Germany $8. 2 bn Canada $5. 2 bn n Receiving Countries n n n India $11. 5 bn Mexico $9. 9 bn Philippines $6. 4 bn Egypt $3. 7 bn Morocco $3. 3 bn

Financial Inflows to Developing Countries, 2002

Remittances by Region, 2002

The Caribbean Diaspora, 1996 n The Caribbean diaspora is located in North America and in former colonizer countries like UK, France and the Netherlands. n Includes foreign-born & persons with one or both parents of Caribbean origin.

Types of Caribbean Migrants n n n Settlers: kinship, family reunification, economic migrants Contract workers: domestics, farm workers, sex workers Seasonal workers: e. g. CSAWP Professionals: doctors, nurses, sports players, entrepreneurs Asylum seekers and refugees Swallows

Remittances to the Caribbean, 2002 Country Barbados Cuba Dominican Republic Guyana Haiti Jamaica Trinidad & Tobago Total Remittances US$m 84 1138 2111 119 931 1288 59 5730

Migration & Development: The Balance Sheet n Positive n n n n n Remittances - stable source of FEX Vent for surplus population Skills transfer & brain gain Diasporic investments Diasporic exports Diasporic tourism Diasporic lobby Transnational networks (e. g. HTAs) Regional & hemispheric integration n Negative n n n n Unearned income a disincentive Brain drain Educational investment & taxes foregone Family breakup & gender imbalance Culture of emigration Mobile populations & HIV/AIDS Deportees & crime New mode of dependency & vulnerability

Remittances & Other Financial Flows to the Caribbean, 1996 and 2001 (US$bn) Year Remittances FDI ODA 1996 2. 4 0. 7 2001 4. 5 2. 7 0. 5

Remittances compared to other Inflows and Key Economic Sectors, 1999 Countries Remittances US$m Tourism % Agro Exports % Total Exports % Dom. Rep 1747 69 290 34 Haiti 720 1241 5455 220 Jamaica 781 63 12 52

Caribbean Brain Drain, 1990 Countries Tertiary Educated share of Total Migrants Migration Rates of Tertiary Educated Dominican Republic 22. 6 14. 2 Jamaica 41. 7 67. 3 Trinidad & Tobago 46. 7 57. 2 Guyana 40. 7 77. 3

Global Poaching of Labour: The Case of Nurses from the Caribbean Country Number of Nurse per 10, 000 persons United States of America 97. 2 Jamaica 11. 3

Nursing Vacancies in Jamaica, 2001 Job Type Level of Vacancies (%) Registered Nurses 37 Public Health Nurses 28 Nurse Practitioners 17 Assistant Nurses 61

Diaspora & New Global Political Economy n The growth of the Diasporic political economy signals the emergence of a new post-national, post-industrial & post-development phase in the GPE: n Diasporic flows exceed traditional external flows, for example, FDI, ODA, Debt financing. n Remittances, barrel imports, diasporic tourism, exports & investment are the new drivers of the LAC economy. n Diasporic diplomacy emerging as new plank of international relations and international security in the post 9/11 era.

Global Migration Problematique n The exodus of human capital is a function of diminishing returns in Latin America & the Caribbean n Labour migration is a process of shifting cultivation n The labour migration problem is one of the devil take the hindmost n n n Rural Urban Global Cities Low income Middle income High Income Haiti Dom. Rep. New York

Strategic Responses n n Secure rights of migrants and expand negotiating power (e. g. ILO conventions) Reduce transaction cost of remittances Encourage remitters and recipients to use banking system and expand savings Establish bilateral arrangements to train labour for export

Strategic Responses (cont’d) n n n Facilitate diasporic investments, exports, tourism Lobby for reduced restrictions on the mobility of natural persons (WTO GATS mode 4) Need for more participatory action research.

Goals of June 2004 Conference – Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1. To strengthen the linkages among Jamaican communities overseas; 2. To create the platform for increased business contracts between Jamaicans at home and abroad; 3. To create a platform to comprehensively involve more overseas Jamaicans in the political, social and cultural life of Jamaica; 4. To elicit ideas from the Diaspora community for the formulation of public policy, and 5. To see the formulation of high-powered lobby groups in the US, Canada and the UK to assist Jamaica in international trade