Expert: Armenia region’s number one in migration

YEREVAN, October 29. /ARKA/. Armenia is the first in the region in migration, economist and statistician Ani Kalashyan told journalists Saturday referring to UN 2009 surveys.

“Since the 1990ies and in 2000, about million residents that were considered permanent migrants, had left Armenia”, Kalashyan said.

Migrant laborers prevailed in the migrant flows of 2000-2005.

Non-official statistics show that approximately 60,000 migrant laborers leave Armenia every year. 93-96% of them leave for Russia: they know the language, another advantage is the large Russian Armenian community, Kalashyan said. The other countries preferred by migrant laborers are the United States, Ukraine, Germany, and France. The expert mentioned that most part of the migrants is then employed in the construction field.

According to Kalashyan, the main reasons for migration are the unemployment in Armenia, the tradition to send men for gasterbeiting immediately after they finish the school, as well as the need for additional income. 

77% of migrants are men, 23% are women. Most part of migrants is in the age group of 26-55 years.

“There is at least one migrant in 77% of families in Armenia”, the expert said.

Kalashyan stressed that internal migration from villages to provincial centers and to the capital is also huge. When people fail to get employment in the capital, then they migrate from the country.

Most often migrant laborers work for 10 hours a day and have no weekends.

According to the expert, the main risks in migrating are the trafficking and employers’ dishonesty when no written contract exists. -0-