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GLOBALIZATION AND MIGRATION PROCESSES

Article · July 2017

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

TAMAZ ZUBIASHVILI1

GLOBALIZATION AND MIGRATION PROCESSES

Abstract

The globalization of migration processes is one of the characteristics of the modern world economy,
which in turn affects the socio-cultural and political climate of individual countries and entire regions
of the world. This phenomenon is usually understood as “increase of the scales of international migration
of population, involving more and more countries of the world in the migration interaction, qualitative
change in the structure of migration flows in accordance with the needs of the globalizing labor market”.
At the same time, the globalization of migration flows is thought to be derived from the liberalization
of the flow of goods and capital and the globalization of population. The globalization of migration
processes is not only quantitative increase of the number of migrants, as well as sending and receiving
countries. This phenomenon has a significant impact on the formation of modern migration policies at
the global, international level. There is a unification of the requirements for labor migrants, no matter
how skillful they are. On the other hand, working conditions and methods of personnel management are
standardized and unified at the same time. The processes of globalization in this sphere lead to the fact
that the geography finally loses its meaning: both for the host country, for the country of origin,
citizenship and nationality of the labor migrant, in accordance with its requirements for skills and general
qualification in a specific field, and for the migrant himself - in accordance with the conditions of
employment and residence in the country to his requests and expectations.

Keywords: Internatinoal migration, globalization, migrants, migratory streams

JEL Codes: F20, F22, F23

1. Introduction

Globalization is characterized by establishment of strong economic, information, political, cultural and

other ties between states and these connections become a determining component of their future
development. The important form of these connections are migratory streams, i.e. the interstate
movement of people conditioned by uneven development of world economy, inequality of economic
conditions and opportunities in different countries, different degree of their involvement in the processes
of modernization and globalization, demand of the world labor market.

Revolutionary development of transportation and communication systems in the 1960s in the world
became a precondition of “migratory explosion;” It was also promoted by the growth of demand for
foreign labor force in certain regions of the world. For example, the history of the post-war Europe is
closely connected with the formation of mass migratory streams directed to the West-European countries
from many regions of the world.

In the process of globalization at the contemporary stage of the world development there are close
interconnections between the streams of goods and capitals and migratory movement of people. Thus
sometimes they have different geographical direction, supplement each other, become a condition and
result of each other.

Without globalization of population when all new and new masses of people get involved in labor
markets, in the markets of consumer goods, when owing to migratory streams it became possible to

1Associate Professor, Tbilisi State University, Georgia.

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

explore new lands and natural resources, when, at last, a great part of the world population acquired
necessary labor skills and got involved in public division of labor, without all of these it would be
impossible to create modern systems of manufacture. On the other hand, globalization of the world
economic system has led to cardinal changes of scales and structures of migratory streams. As a result
of the processes of globalization there is a formation of new division of labor in which migrants play an
important role, filling the economic niches in the developed countries. In the low sector of the world
labor market low-skilled migrants, including illegal ones, become important elements of competitive
struggle both between powerful transnational corporations and between "outsiders" of the world
globalization process with small-sized enterprises of the sphere of manufacture and services.
Simultaneously labor migration of managers and experts from the highest echelons which in the
conditions of transnational scale of activity of the largest world companies practically does not have
national borders provides these companies with the flexible and effective mechanism of hiring and
production management.
Globalization of production processes and distribution of information and computer technologies leads
to the unification of demand for qualified labor force, increases a role of modern trades for which the
national identity loses its previous value and geographical borders cease to be real restriction on
employment.

Influence of globalization of the world economy on migratory processes is shown in the formation of
essentially new migratory situation in the world whose characteristic features are:

 Unprecedented expansion of the scales of international migration;

 Qualitative changes of migratory streams;
 Feminization of labor migration;
 Growth of illegal migration;
 Transformation of migration into globally organized international business, including criminal one.

2. Scales of international migration

The scales of international migration enable to consider this phenomenon as of global importance.
According to the data of the United Nations, at the beginning of the 21st century in the world more than
220 million people lived in those countries where they were not born and did not hold citizenship (this
number has increased three times in comparison with 1950). It makes up approximately 3% of the world
population. If we consider estimations of those experts on migration which adhere to wide interpretation
of the phenomenon of international migration and include in it economic tourists, seasonal workers,
pendular migrants, illegal migrants, etc then the number of international migrants in the world will be
quite a great one.

International migration contains essentially all the countries of the world which to some extent, in this
or that form are involved in the world migratory streams. If in 1965 in the world there were 41 countries
with the number of migrants more than 300 thousand persons in each one, in 2000 such countries were
already 66 and in 43 countries out of them the number of international migrants exceeded 600 thousand
persons.

Migration of labor resources out of the all forms of international migration to the greatest degree is
interconnected with the globalization processes of the world economy. The research conducted by the
International Labor Organization in 152 countries on the existing situation in the field of international
labor migration showed that in the 1970-1990s the number of the countries-importers of labor resources
increased from 29 up to 55, and the number of countries with “mixed migratory status” increased from
4 up to 15 (ILO, 2000, p. 7).

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

Globalization plays a role of the catalyst in transformation of traditional roles of the countries in
international migration. It is shown:

(1) When transnational corporations and large companies transfer their manufactures more close to the
sources of cheap labor sources and the areas of consumption of their production; their purpose is to
reduce production costs and accordingly to increase profit. E. Petras called this “movement of the capital
to maximization of profit.” However if we consider this process from a position of influence on the
dynamics of labor migration it is necessary to notice the opposite process – “movement of labor to the
evening out of wages.” For example, placing of manufacture in the countries with redundant labor
resources with the purpose to reduce migratory inflow from there, the developed countries sometimes
get opposite results: familiarizing of the population of poorer countries with the international standards
of manufacture and consumption strengthens motivation to move to richer countries. So, Petras observes
that Mexicans, having acquired the certain industrial skills in American enterprises located in their
country, thought that they could be also demanded at the enterprises in the United States, where labor
reimbursement is somewhat higher.

(2) If a country which traditionally was a supplier of labor force and gets involved in globalization
processes (for example, through active investment of the international capital, creation of offshore
zones, manufactures of transnational companies, etc on its territory) then new job places are created and
the country starts to draw labor resources from neighbor countries; thus in this way it turns into the
country-recipient. This occurred in many countries where economy experienced sharp rise in the last
decades owing to the investments of transnational capital in industry and agriculture (Southern European
countries, Ireland), oil production (countries of the Near East) or in high technological branches (Korea,
Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Ireland).

Several decades ago, especially in traditional societies, a person could live all life in one city or village
without going anywhere from there at all and meeting a migrant among friends, neighbors and
acquaintances. In a modern globalized society such situation is practically impossible (Castles S.
Migration at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Global Trends and Issues. 2000 p. 269). People’s
behavior becomes inevitable result of globalization that has an effect not only on the development and
distribution of modern forms of production in the world, but also on improvement of transport conditions
for movement between countries and availability of information.

It should be noted that in the last decades activization of migratory movement in the world occurs in the
conditions when the migrant receiving countries restrict immigration and close the borders for
foreigners, and the public opinion on immigrants gets negative. However the restrictive policy of the
recipient countries which actually is selective and not so much prohibitive virtually cannot stop streams
of international migrants. And economically and demographically host countries become dependent on
inflow of migrants. The economic advantage of receiving countries (and permanent existence of
migratory streams of high intensity in sending countries) allows regulation of migratory streams and
their provision with qualitative structure that will be most acceptable to the receiving countries.

3. Qualitative Changes of Migratory Streams

Globalization "adjusts" the movement of migratory streams under changing requirements of the world
labor market, transforms qualitative structure of international migration streams. Classification of
current changes can be done by some characteristics; these characteristics are:

 Time characteristics of migratory streams.

Out of all kinds and forms of international migration temporary labor migration developed most

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

dynamically during the last decades. It is connected, on the one hand, with the development of transport
that simplified movement of people and “reduced” distances between countries and continents. In such
conditions temporary work abroad appears more rational, than permanent emigration as it means smaller
material and emotional expenses.

On the other hand, globalization of the world labor market demands greater flexibility of migratory
behavior which just can be ensured by temporary labor migration. Temporary attraction of foreign
workers also corresponds to the migration policies of developed countries which, actually, and make the
“globalization elite” and in many respects determine the conditions with which other countries
participate in the processes of globalization.

 Qualification characteristics of migrants.

On the labor markets in developed countries which basically determine the direction and intensity of
world migratory streams of labor migrants, steady demand for labor of foreign workers on two
qualification “poles:” on workers with low and the highest qualification has been created.

Non-prestigious job places which don’t demand high qualification and labor conditions are heavy and
wages are low, are available as subsidiary works on construction, in agriculture and manufacture, and
also in the sphere of public service and house services. These kinds of works are already actually fixed
for migrants (For example, in Germany in the 1990s the expressions “an assistant in the house,”
“cleaner" (die Putzfrau) and “Polish cleaner” (polnische Putzfrau) practically are used as synonyms), so
it can be said that labor migrants have not only simply created the certain enclaves on the labor markets
of host countries, but also they have turned into the structural element of a global economic regime, with
which the economy of developed countries is built and developed. At the same time economic and social
well-being of these countries more increasingly depends on inflow of labor migrants.

Simultaneously thanks to migrants developed countries successfully overcome permanent shortage of

specialists of the modern trades demanding high qualification: scientists, managers, developers of
information technologies, etc.

Thus, on the world labor market there is polarization of temporary labor migrants by their qualification
characteristics, so-called “professional migrants,” (scientists, supreme administrative personnel,
engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs) for whom favorable conditions for employment in host countries
are created, and low-skilled workers, the demand on them also is rather high and selection procedure is
tough when there is a huge offer of them.

 Gender characteristics.

Traditionally it was considered that overwhelming majority of labor migrants were men. Women
participating in labor migration streams mainly were members of the families of male migrants.
However already at the beginning of the 1990s it was noted by researchers that women make up not less
than 50 % of “independent” labor migrants. In many respects it is basically related with structural
changes in the world economy, accompanying globalization processes. Development of so-called
“service economy” has led to growth of the sphere of services in the structure of employment of
developed countries and created constantly growing demand on women-migrants who are engaged in
the sphere of low-skilled labor service.

Women-migrants generally are employed in such spheres of the labor market of host countries which
are developing rapidly in recent years. This sphere includes the leisure and entertainment industry
(dancers in restaurants, participants of show-programs), sphere of public services (the personnel of

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

hotels, bars, casinos, etc.), house service (nurses, governesses, servants), sex-service. Many of these
kinds of employment can be related to the “spheres of risk.” Risky employment of women-migrants
virtually is connected to sex-employment, and so-called to sex-related employment, which frequently is
related to sex-services (striptease-show, consumation, massage, etc.). These spheres of employment, as
a matter of fact, also represent the basic migratory opportunities for women.

Thus, feminization of migratory streams that became a characteristic feature of the present stage of the
development of international labor migration, simultaneously means the tendency of marginalization of
big groups of migrants on the world labor market and raises a problem for protection of the rights of
labor migrants in the line of priority tasks of the national and international institutes who are engaged in
migration study.

4. Contradictions in the Epoch of Globalization

The most acute problems accompanying the modern process of globalization are reflected in
international migration as in a mirror. It is an increase of differences in economic and demographic
potential of developed and developing countries that is expressed in growing inequality of incomes and
opportunities and that accordingly stimulates international migration. It is an increase of competition on
national labor markets of host countries, strengthening of ethno-confessional standoffs in the areas of
immigrants’ concentration that is expressed in general aggravation of social tension in migrants host
countries. It is strengthening of labor migrants exploitation by employers that is expressed in reduction
of really earned wages, restrictions on payment of various benefits, etc., that incurs infringement of
migrants social rights.

Migration and globalization become so connected by this complex system of mutual relations that they
act not only as “mutually provoking” processes but also mutual problems causing. In general view the
contradiction between migration and globalization are shown in the problem of person’s customs. The
right to free movement which is not simply one of the fundamental laws of person, but also a condition
of development of globalization processes encounters the control by the states on the movement of
people in order to maintain optimum size and structure of population of the country. Against a
background of free movement of capitals, goods, technologies and information “people are less mobile;
they always belong to any state, are depended on passports, visas, permission for residence and the
conjuncture on a labour market.” (Hirst P., Thompson G. Globalization and the Future of the Nation
State//Economy and Society. p. 410. 1995).

The contradictions inherent in the period of globalization are shown in migration sphere in the form of
transformation of migration into globally organized branch of international business including various
migratory services, starting from the assistance in obtaining a visa and in searching jobs and ending with
illegal contraband and human trafficking. Such kind of business manipulating hundreds of thousands of
job places worldwide and is operated by the network of organizations and institutions. In such conditions
regulation of migratory streams in receiving countries can be productive only in the case if it is oriented
not only to migrants, but also to those formal and informal institutes which are engaged in
commercialization of migration and make profit from it.

5. Conclusions

Regulation of migration in the conditions of globalization becomes possible only by the joint efforts of
the majority of the world countries (first of all by the largest and the most developed countries), i.e. by
means of multilateral international cooperation. It is obvious, that it concerns first of all those problems
that incur growing number of refugees and increase of the scales of illegal migration which have got
really global character. However, not to smaller degree it concerns international labor migration as

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

maintenance of legal guarantees for those citizens of the countries who work in other countries, became
an important component of the global process of struggle for human rights.

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 MIRDEC-4th, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Multidisciplinary and Globalization Studies,
04-07 July, 2017, Holiday Inn Piramides, Madrid, Spain.
Masters International Research & Development Center

[Link] ISBN: 978-605-82290-0-6

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