Migration and Its Effects on the Economic Development: Case of Kosovo

Abstract

Migration is a complex process that has affected our country over many decades and still continues to be part of developments in our country's history. Migration has played and continues to play an important role in alleviating unemployment and poverty level in Kosovo, where, from the migration and remittances has positively influenced the growth of social and economic welfare. The main causes of youth migration are economic reasons. The emigration of young people has eased the labor market pressures to some extent and remittances from abroad have helped many families to enjoy a decent standard of living. However, migration does not always have positive effects. By leaving of a part of the workforce, the country is losing a part of human resources that are ready for the job market.The purpose of this paper is precisely to explain the positive role played by this phenomenon towards the human resource development, reduction of unemployment and vocational training through the experience that they gain in destination countries, as well as to affect the negative points or side effects that are brought by the spread of this phenomenon over the years. The paper was conducted through a survey of 300 citizens of Kosovo. The survey was conducted in order to obtain information about the reasons of citizens’ emigration and also to obtain information about the effects that emigration brings to local families. At the end, it is seen from the results that the effects of emigration for the economic development of the country are both positive and negative at the same scale. This phenomenon is a persuasion to the economic and social development of the country, but it also gives negative effects, by removing human resources, that are often professionally able outside the country.