Migration changes both ends of the journey: the place people leave and the place they go. Building on push and pull factors, this lesson looks at the effects. Geographers and economists agree on many of them and still debate how large some are.
Key idea
Remittances are money migrants send home; for some countries they are a large share of national income. Brain drain is the loss of educated, skilled people from a sending country; brain gain is their arrival in a receiving one. Migration also changes the age structure, culture and labor supply of both places.
| Sending place (origin) | Receiving place (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Possible gains | Remittances; less unemployment; returning migrants bring skills and savings | More workers, often of working age; new businesses; skills; cultural variety |
| Possible costs | Brain drain; fewer young workers; families separated | Pressure on housing and services in some places; competition for some jobs; adjustment for newcomers and residents |
Why it works
Migrants are usually young adults, so a place that loses many of them ages faster and loses workers, while a place that gains them gets younger. Migrants earn more where they move, and many send part of their pay home, which can pay for schooling, housing and small businesses. When doctors or engineers leave, a poor country loses people it paid to train; when they send money home or return with experience, it may gain some back.
Worked examples
Worked example: Naming the effect
Many nurses trained in one country move abroad for higher pay. What effects might each country see?
- Sending country: a brain drain of trained nurses, but remittances sent home.
- Receiving country: a brain gain that helps fill nursing jobs.
Answer: Brain drain plus remittances at home; brain gain abroad.
Worked example: Reading a pyramid
A rural region's pyramid has unusually short bars for ages 20–39. What is a likely cause?
- The missing ages are young working adults.
- Young adults are the most likely to migrate, often to cities for work.
Answer: Out-migration of young adults.
Common mistake
Students see only one side: "migration helps" or "migration hurts." Researchers find gains and costs for both sending and receiving places, and the balance depends on who moves, where, and under what rules. They still debate how large some effects are, such as the effect on wages of workers already living in a place. Name effects on both sides, and avoid treating one study as the final word.