IPS research on migration related issues can be found at the following:

• Migration and Development: Trends, Impacts and Challenges for Policy Makers

At present, over one million Sri Lankan citizens are estimated to have migrated for foreign employment. The estimated number of annual migrants is higher than the number of new entrants to the labour market. The bulk of such migrants are to be found in Middle Eastern countries. Female migrants make up about 70 per cent of total migrants. Lack of adequate livelihood and employment opportunities at home is the prime driver for most such out-migration. However, associated social costs can be high, particularly in terms of family breakdown, etc. Skilled migrants – estimated to make up about 20 per cent – on the other hand, mostly seek better employment/financial opportunities abroad. Associated brain/skills drain costs again can be substantial, particular in key sectors such as health care workers. Migrant remittance flows into Sri Lanka are large and rising. The macroeconomic implications of these flows are significant in terms of the contribution to GDP growth, easing Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange constraints and pressure on the exchange rate by providing valuable balance of payments (BOP) support. At the micro level, remittances have been an important flow of income for poorer households. Remittances have also shown to push households out of poverty. However, unskilled workers (particularly domestic workers) face many risks -- such as breach of contracts, non-payment of wages, excessive working hours and harassment by employers – that result in them returning to Sri Lanka prematurely.

Over the years, the government has facilitated labour migration to ease employment and foreign exchange shortfalls in the country with the relaxation of regulations on travel and foreign exchange convertibility to facilitate overseas work and remittances. These efforts have resulted in increasing the remittance flows and number of migrants over time. However, migration for employment has high social costs, as elaborated earlier. IPS recently launched a research programme to study the impacts of migration and migrant remittances on the economy.

In 2008, IPS submitted a proposal for the Global Development Network’s (GDN) initiative on “Development on the Move: Measuring and Optimizing the Economic and Social Impacts of Migration”. This proposal was one of the 12 short-listed.

Recent IPS research initiatives on the theme include:

• A Migration Profile for Sri Lanka
  http://www.ips.lk/lei/research/migration_profile/migration_profile.html

• Implementation of a Readmission Agreement with the European Commission: Costs and Benefits for Sri Lanka
  http://www.ips.lk/macro/research/implement_readmission/implement.html

• International Conference on Institutionalizing Regional Approaches to Migration Management in South Asia,
  Colombo, 25 November, 2011
  (http://www.ips.lk/news/index.html)

• Kelegama, S., 2011, Migration, Remittances and Development in South Asia, Sage Publications: New Delhi.
  (http://www.ips.lk/staff/ed/publications_ed/international/migration_remittances_development/migration_remittances.html)

• Different Approaches to Migration and its Impacts: A Sri Lankan Perspective
  (http://www.ips.lk/lei/research/different_approaches/different_approaches.html)

• International Migration Outlook: Sri Lanka 2008
  (http://www.ips.lk/macro/research/international_migration/international_migration.html)

• International Conference on Institutionalizing Regional Approaches to Migration Management in South Asia,
  Colombo, 19 November, 2010
  (http://www.ips.lk/news/index.html)

• International Conference on Migration, Remittances and Development Nexus in South Asia, Colombo, 4-5 May, 2009
  (http://www.ips.lk/events/wshopsseminars.html)