Migrant workers seek jobs in the external labor markets to earn income and reduce their dependency on families or relatives. They feel that they are additional burden to their families or relatives. In this situation, they look for jobs that reduce their dependency on generous individuals. However, most migrant workers may not meet the requirements of the external labor markets.
Studies reveal that some of them do not have the required skills when seeking jobs abroad. These studies indicate that the attainment levels of education have huge disparity between urban and remote rural areas. Most of the migrant workers that originated from rural areas of Ethiopia have attained only primary level education. A large number of them do not have the right skills before migration. Only a small number of them have some technical and vocational training before they leave their country. Those who have achieved technical and vocational training want to migrate with the hope of earning higher pay.
Most migrants are not able to use their technical skills to secure decent jobs abroad. They are engaged in daily labor in the countries of destination. They are engaged in jobs that have been completely unrelated to the skills they acquired in Ethiopia. During their stay abroad, most men are engaged in daily labor while almost all women are involved in domestic work.
The Ethiopian men have been working in the construction, agriculture, and manufacturing sector as daily laborers. Very few of the migrants have been engaged in driving and teaching activities. Upon their return, some of them receive informal technical education and financial support from families. This illustrates that among the vast numbers of returned migrant workers to Ethiopia, only a small number are able to access technical training opportunities. Women migrants who access training programs in the country largely focus on skills related to food preparation and hairdressing.
Researchers who map the skill setting of Ethiopian migrant workers note their preferences. They want to be engaged in activities that do not require special skills. They prefer to engage in small shops, animal husbandry, and agricultural activities that generate income for covering their cost of living. They wish to access basic business skills that facilitate their reintegration into the Ethiopian society. Training of skills for men covers producing construction materials, engaging in wood and metal works as well as driving vehicles.
The duration of skills-based training ranged from weeks to months. Entrepreneurial and life skills training are provided for a few days before delivering vocational skills training. Before such training, most migrants are unemployed or underemployed. Consequently, they could not meet their basic financial needs. However, those who have educational training before migrating for employment abroad, are able to access financial reintegration assistance.
The migrants used to have some savings from income they earned in the country of migration. However, most are unable to maintain themselves because of loss of income and savings. They lose their earned income or saving because of violence and abuse they encounter during their transit and deportation processes. Consequently, they lack access to material resources for engaging in entrepreneurial activities.
Studies reveal that they could not access productive work because of their lack of employable skills. The migrants have faced shortage of financial resources for facilitating their social integration. The support program provided does not equip them with adequate skills to join the labor market. The training program does not necessarily increase their employability.
Researchers have identified that the training provided lacked the required resources to produce employable labor force. As a result, some who received vocational skills training were forced to engage in other areas to earn income for survival. Despite having the skills required for their profession, they are unable to engage in productive work. Studies reveal that the skills provided through the training centers are not based on the market demand for labor. This resulted in the unemployment or underemployment of those migrants, through reintegration packages; a few of them were provided financial support only for activities in small business establishments. Since sources of financial support are limited, raising the skills of migrants through training could not enhance their employability. Only practical and realistic measures ensure the sustainability of skills.
A few migrants, however, took the skills’ training for lack of other options. Also, those who failed to apply their newly acquired skills resorted to other means of generating income such as driving taxi or serve in bars and restaurants, particularly for women. These examples show the need to look for alternative options to earn income.
Experts observed that lack of skills of migrant workers is a serious challenge. This prevents them from accessing jobs that guarantee them sustainable livelihoods. Informal and on the job acquired skills have helped returnees to engage themselves in self-employment. But, these skills do not enhance long-term employability abroad.
Improving the quality of skills’ training programs may provide options in terms of long-term employment and income. Also, linking trainees with future employers may increase both economic participation and sustainable integration of workers abroad.
As mentioned earlier, those migrants have faced several challenges in accessing jobs abroad. Researchers pointed out that because of their absence from the educational system for a long time the migrants do not have the skills required by the employing enterprises abroad. Also, they experience challenges in foreign countries that pose great problems of survival. They also face shortage of time and financial crises to escape the alien countries that denied them their wages and salaries.
It was reported that those Ethiopian employees could not challenge their foreign employers for refusing to pay their hard earned wages. These workers have been subjected to harsh treatment by employers who have exploited their labor for low or minimum pay. These exploited Ethiopian workers have no rights to appeal to the legal enforcement institutions of the employing alien country. The reason for that has been the absence of legally binding agreement between the foreign employers and migrant workers abroad.
One may observe modern slavery in countries where migrant workers’ rights are not protected by law. Foreign works’ appeal to the legal enforcement agencies of the employing country could only fall on deaf ears. There seems to be very close interest between these agencies and employers in the same country. The benefits that accrued to employers from engaging skilled foreign workers at low pay may be shared by all.
What is worse is that when these workers want to return to their mother country, they face various obstacles. One of these obstacles has been putting the workers in jail for any fake crime. They are also deprived of their legal documents, passports and visas. These make their lives horrendous, though enjoyed by the perpetrators or police officers. These crimes against Ethiopians working abroad have been committed secretly to avoid any legal actions by the Ethiopian embassies.
A few Ethiopian workers could return to their country miraculously. They told their stories publicly and yet, more Ethiopian jobseekers want to experience the same hardships. They cover their own roundtrip expenses to the so-called countries of plenty of employment and income. These jobseekers have been provided with information on employment and high income in the employing countries by middlemen. These dealers enjoy immensely every time a discouraged jobseeker approach them for employment abroad.
They claim a huge amount of service charge before the jobseeker leave his country for employment abroad. They arrange for meeting the legal and technical requirement, including passport, before leaving for the county of employment. Once the jobseeker is guaranteed and assured of flying to the country of employment, relatives celebrate the departure of the person in a closed circle. They very well know that the jobseeker is flying to hell in search of better job and high income.
After a short period of work abroad, the former jobseeker would return to his country with records of hardships, maltreatment and exploitation by harsh employers abroad. In Ethiopia, there is a practice of raising the employability of workers returning from abroad. There is also a reintegration strategy which has been essential for laying the basis for enhancing access to technical training for returnees.
The employment strategy covers vulnerable groups, school leavers, drop-outs, and people without formal education. This has been accompanied by a system of enabling illiterate persons, low paid employees and peasants and their families. The employment strategy also covers people from marginalized ethnic, tribal and clan groups, among others.
Additionally, the technical training strategy encourages cooperatives to engage in training programs based on their needs. Studies show that cooperative training is arranged in partnership with training centers and private and public enterprises. In some cases, donor organizations give support based on the request of these enterprises. These donors focus on possible balancing of the supply of and demand for skilled labor. The training institutions have the autonomy to develop partnerships between them and the employers.
There is an opportunity for training centers to develop relevant program for enhancing skills demanded abroad. Also training programs may be developed with interventions by stakeholders that help identify gaps and avoid duplication. This endeavor would increase coordination among donors, agencies and entrepreneurs in developing the right skills. They also give advice on how to increase participation of jobseekers in the labor market of Ethiopia.
The stakeholders have made suggestions on how to invest in demand-based cooperative training. Moreover, there are favorable legal and policy frameworks that support cooperative and occupation-based training, which are crucial to meet labor market demand. To achieve this, donors and stakeholders should cooperate with training centers. These centers may inject marketable skills among jobseekers and reduce the imbalance between supply of and demand for trained labor force and returned migrant workers. After having taken these supportive measures, the migrant workers may look for better employment opportunities abroad.
Aid agencies and international organizations are requested cooperate in assisting these workers. These workers will then be in a position to help their relatives by sending money legally thorough the Ethiopian banks. This will also enhance the foreign exchange earning opportunities for the country.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY GETACHEW MINAS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2024
