Globalization

Nowadays, human migration is happening globally on an unprecedented

scale, both legal and illegally. Some claim that this is an unavoidable outcome of the
globalization between the poor developing countries and the rich developed
countries, which its proponents believe that it will result in an equal allocation of
wealth. No matter whether it is legal or illegal, there are some facts, which can proof
that this kind of migration had shown that it gives benefits for both sending and
receiving countries. One of the major benefits for sending countries is remittances, or
the money sent back to families by whom who work outside their home country,
while one of the major benefits for receiving countries is ‘brain gain’, which means
that the workers who are employed in the receiving countries are highly skilled and
well-educated. However, the facts show that the benefits for receiving countries
outweigh the benefits for sending countries. Because, receiving countries can also
benefits from cheap labor.

Since the end of WWII, the number of increase in legal migration has not
been as significant as illegal migration. The number of world migration soared.
However, the quality of the labor declined. The decline in immigrants’ quality were
caused by the changes in the substances of the source country and it showed four
big movements in world migration forms over the last five hundred years after World
War II (Williamson, 2006: 10). Millions of people migrate to more prosperous
countries legal and illegally (Perry, 2008: 81). In China, numbers of people started
saving again so they can migrate abroad in order to search for opportunities to
improve their lives elsewhere in the world, out from their home country (Kwong,
2007: 27). On the other hand, while governments around the world tried hard to
press the number of illegal migrations, it still keeps exceeding. Although many illegal
immigrants encounter some problems on their way to reach the destination, such as
refusal and the risk of death before they reached their destination. For example, a
report in April 2008 showed that there are 54 Burmese found death in a freight
container en route to Phuket after being crammed in with the other 77 immigrants
(Wehrfritz, Kinetz & Kent, 2008: 63). The arrival of people in China with a large scale
has never happened before. As a result, the citizens who are afraid to lose their jobs
refuse to accept these mass migrants (Kwong, 2007: 28).

Furthermore, the number of migrants from South to North keeps increasing

each year due to the motivation to improve their lives, their economies and the
inability of their government to provide enough jobs for them. The recent trend of
immigrants who tried to migrate illegally to Europe proofs that poverty and lack of
education was their most important push factor. Sub-Saharan Africa represented
10% of the world’s population, however, there are about 320 million people living on
US$1 or less, according to the International Labor Organization. Still, a large number
of unskilled and uneducated young people who have limited prospect to get better
jobs in the future will increase if the educations in Sub-Saharan Africa do not get any
improvement (Dibba, 2008: 57-58). The replacement of the characteristic of illegal
immigrants can also differ from millions of people during and after WWII (Lintner,
2003: 16). Workers shortages caused by 2 millions Romanians immigrated to Spain
and Italy after communism fell, could be covered by Chinese immigrants despite the
low wages earned (Kwong, 2007: 28). In contrast, the pull factor from the destination
countries are the higher payment and also more job opportunities provided by the
government (UNCTD, 2007: 72).

One of the reasons for someone who wants to work outside their country is
remittances. Remittances (money sent back home by someone who works outside
their country) have a huge importance to people who received them (their families); it
can help them to afford their daily needs and increase their welfare. Remittances can
also help the poor escape from poverty. More than half of the global remittances go
to developing countries and the amount has exceeded the amount of official aid and
has 90% equivalency to FDI received. Furthermore, the fact also shows that
worldwide remittances widened the gap between the poor and the rich, according to
one study in 2005. Remittances are also non-mutual financial flows, which sent
directly to someone who has full control to use it without the chances for the sender
to recover the funds. However, the risk for receiving countries to become a
remittances depending community increases as the immigrants constantly send
money back to their families (Biller, 2007: 44-47). For instance, in 2004, about 67%
of Somalia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was from remittances, which were more
than ten times the value of exports. As a result, the country’s dependency on
remittances is much higher than any other countries in the world. However, it is also
important to understand the possibility of negative effects caused by the difficult
regulations in remittances, which can help poor families (Ahmed, 2006: 49-50).

On the other hand, this mass migration has caused some condition to either
their home country or their destination country. Brain drain is a condition when the
educated and skilled people go to developed countries to get better jobs and
improve their lives, while brain gain is the condition of the receiving countries. Many
highly educated people are attracted to migrate to developed countries because they
believe they can get better jobs with better payments than their own country could
give them. Whereas, industrialized countries continuously recruit skilled workers
from developing countries in the same time, in order to fill the spaces in their labor
market (UNCTD, 2007: 73). After the migrants make some money, they send it to
their families. However, the remitters did not realize that with remittances, they had
also caused their country to be in state where they lack of people who can help them
make businesses more productive and valuable because people who received
remittances believe they can make more money if they go to other more prosperous
countries (Sanders, 2007: 76). For example, there are facts that show some doctors
and lawyers from Central America found working as waiters and car washer in
Miami. Moreover, as there are only a few American professionals who move out to
settle at other places in other countries, the gap between the haves and the have not
continues to widen (Iyer, 2005: 69).

Globalization is also one of the factors that caused mass migration. It was
believed to inevitably cause people to migrate either legal or illegally. Globalization
supposed to benefit all people. However, it has been accompanied by an increase in
xenophobia and millions of people in South Africa are not benefited (Perry, 2008:
83). It has also removed national borders between the countries but not the people
(Kwong, 2007: 28). While free trade and free markets have made the global
averages incomes increased, which resulted in the decrease of the percentages
people living on less than $2 a day, World Commission on the Social Dimension
found that there are only 5% of countries, which their disparity is declining. In
addition, economist Joseph Stiglitz claimed that ‘Globalization might be creating rich
country with poor people’ (Perry, 2008: 82).

In brief, receiving countries benefit more than sending countries. Receiving

countries benefits from some aspects, such as cheap labor (exploitation on unskilled
and uneducated workers), brain gain (the coming of highly skilled workers and the
professionals to the receiving countries) and their ability to fill the spaces in their
labor market.
 REFERENCES

Ahmed, I. 2006, New Regulations Restrict Somali Remittances

Biller, S. 2007, Remittances and Development

Dibba, K. 2008, The Causes of Illegal Migration to Europe by West Africans

Iyer, P. 2005, Brain Drain and its Impacts Abroad

Kwong, P. 2007, Chinese Migration Goes Global

Lintner, B. 2003, Illegal Migration in the 21st Century

Perry, A. 2008, Poverty Trap

Sanders, Sir R. 2007, Brain Drain or Export Earnings?

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTD), 2007, Brain Drain
Umdermines Progress In Least Developed Countries

Wehrfritz, G., Kinetz, E. & Kent, J. 2008, Lured Into Bondage

Williamson, J. G. 2006, Global Migration