Data from the World Bank show that low-skilled Nigerians who moved to the United States had a 1,500% boost in their income.
The Punch reported that this was contained in the World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies, which was published on Tuesday and made available online by the World Bank.
According to the survey, those who migrated from low-income to high-income countries stood to benefit the most from their decision.
It stated, “People who move from low- to high-income countries stand to gain the most. Results are also influenced by the labor market at the destination. Gains depend on the talents, gender, age, and language proficiency of the migrants. Despite the fact that high-skilled individuals earn greater absolute gains than low-skilled workers, low-skilled workers encounter a multifold increase in their income as well.
“For instance, low-skilled Yemenis and Nigerians who move to the US see a 15 times rise in their income. Moving from a society with large socioeconomic inequalities to one with fewer inequalities and where the wage gap between low- and high-skilled workers is smaller will result in greater gains for low-skilled people.”
The countries with the largest gains for low-skilled migrants include Yemen (almost 1,500%), Nigeria (nearly 1,500%), and Egypt (over 1000%), according to a graph displaying the growth.
However, it was highlighted that relocating costs can sometimes partially offset salary increases, particularly for low-skilled workers.
The report stated, “Migrants incur a range of expenses prior to their departure, including the fees they pay to intermediary agents for job information and job matching as well as regulatory compliance or documentation fees (for a visa/sponsorship, medical tests, and security clearance), transportation costs, and pre-departure training costs they must pay.
These expenses are typically paid for by the workers in low-skilled migration, which goes against the principles of fair hiring. Many low-skilled workers are unable to take advantage of migration prospects because of these costs, which tend to rise with the length of contracts.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that Nigeria is a significant migration hub, with 1.7 million emigrants and about 1.3 million immigrants whose home is Nigeria.
The study also showed that households in Nigeria that receive remittances spend more on agrochemicals and planting supplies, and their farms produce more.
It did, however, point out that remittance inflows to Nigeria grew almost tenfold in a single year before dropping down, despite the fact that economic fundamentals indicate they should have continued to rise.
The research also stated that with over 3.2 million IDPs in Nigeria, Nigeria and nine other countries account for more than two-thirds of the 59.1 million total number of internally displaced people.
It was further stated that, despite a drop in fertility from 6.4 to 5.1, Nigeria is predicted to increase its population from 213 million to 791 million by the end of the century, overtaking India as the second-most populous nation in the world.
