International Contract Migration and the Reintegration of Return Migrants: The Experience of Sri Lanka 1

Abstract

This article attempts to shed light on the issue of how far the labor exporting countries can monitor the process of reinsertion of return migrants in the domestic economy, with a view to maximizing net gains from international labor migration, drawing upon the experience of Sri Lanka. It begins with an examination of the socioeconomic characteristics of migrant workers with special emphasis on their post-migration activity status and the pattern of remittance utilization. Then it proceeds to evaluate critically the self-employment scheme that has been introduced by the Sri Lankan labor administration to advise and train return migrants in establishing themselves in business. The findings point to the danger of expecting too much from policy initiatives in this sphere.