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Migrants’ Economic Participation in Origin and Destination Countries: The Case of Senegal

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Migration between Africa and Europe

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Abstract

This chapter looks at the occupational integration of Senegalese migrants in Europe, their transnational economic participation while abroad and their labour force re-integration upon return. The survey results show how occupational outcomes at destination are primarily influenced by the educational and labour profiles of migrants upon arrival, with the least educated and unskilled going to Spain and Italy, while students and skilled workers mainly choose France as a destination. While Senegalese in France more likely face an initial downgrading but an increase over time in the proportion in skilled employment, Senegalese in Spain largely remain in unskilled jobs, and in Italy a proportion of migrants (albeit a small one) achieve gradual upward mobility. Occupational outcomes also vary markedly according to gender.

Whilst in Europe, migrants’ transnational economic engagement increases over time, to varying degrees depending on their gender, level of education, employment situation and legal status on arrival in Europe.

Finally, our analysis of returnees’ reintegration into the Senegalese labour market shows positive outcomes over time, in terms of both labour market participation and occupational level. However, although returnees end up better integrated in the local labour market than those who never migrated, this outcome mirrors their initial situation before leaving the country. The findings suggest that, on average, the better off are more likely to migrate and the migration experience does not necessarily produce a substantial improvement in occupational status upon return.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For a study of the factors associated with remittances at the time of the survey in Senegal see Rakotonarivo, A. and M. A. Mangalu (2013). “Envoyer et recevoir: les transferts de migrants vers les régions de Dakar et Kinshasa” in Migrations africaines: le co-développement en questions. Essai de démographie politique. C. Beauchemin, L. Kabbanji, P. Sakho and B. Schoumaker. Paris, Armand Colin: 127–158.

  2. 2.

    For more details on the ISEI score and its relation to migration experience among Senegalese in Europe, see Obucina (2009).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forum Internazionale ed Europeo di Ricerche sull’Immigrazione (FIERI), Turin, Italy

    Eleonora Castagnone & Tiziana Nazio

  2. IPDSR, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

    Papa Sakho

  3. Collegia Carlo Alberto, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Tiziana Nazio

  4. Centre de recherche en démographie, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Bruno Schoumaker & Andonirina Rakotonarivo

  5. UNESCO, Institute for Statistics, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Andonirina Rakotonarivo

Authors
  1. Eleonora Castagnone
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  2. Papa Sakho
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  3. Tiziana Nazio
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  4. Bruno Schoumaker
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  5. Andonirina Rakotonarivo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eleonora Castagnone .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut national d’études démographiques (INED), Paris, France

    Cris Beauchemin

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Castagnone, E., Sakho, P., Nazio, T., Schoumaker, B., Rakotonarivo, A. (2018). Migrants’ Economic Participation in Origin and Destination Countries: The Case of Senegal. In: Beauchemin, C. (eds) Migration between Africa and Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69569-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69569-3_14

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