Socio-economic problems of returning migrants' reintegration in Georgia

Abstract

The present work of research reveals that despite an economic revival, the labour market infrastructure in Georgia and the cost of labour force do not contribute to any reduction in labour emigration. Therefore, great emphasis is placed on the facilitation of return migration back to the homeland and the socio-economic efficiency of this process. The results of the sampling survey of return migrants in the capital of Georgia and two large industrial cities – Kutaisi and Rustavi – show that social and economic reintegration is shot through with contradictions, which in turn determine the low efficiency of reintegration. Significant numbers of return migrants are unemployed or work in discriminatory labour conditions, which do not correspond to their education and work experience. A significant share of these will be forced to migrate in the near future. Many subjective factors prevent return migrants from implementing their business projects. They accumulate savings, which they brought for this purpose, and target these savings. Research has established that it is necessary to enforce state support for return migrants by introducing institutional changes. This should increase the efficiency of investment activity on the basis of migrants’ remittances and this should create new jobs.