Human Mobility and Reverse Migration in Asia: Triggers and Travails

Abstract

Human mobility is an inherent feature of all societies, triggered by several factors that co-exist with diverse conditions determining the choice of people regarding the destination and travel. The principal drivers of mobility include livelihood issues, global or regional employment opportunities, origin/host country’s socio-economic conditions, conflict and instability, governance and environmental challenges, etc. Human mobility is driven by greater connectivity within and beyond regions. Migrants bring with their labour, skills and service, trading networks, and a business spirit to the destination countries. However, there is a growing concern today that the sustainability of opportunities in the migratory spaces is contingent upon an array of conditions that remain uncertain. Reverse migration is indeed a consequence of this scenario. It informs a situation where migrants return to their home country either by their own choice or under the pressures of the host country’s domestic and regional setting. How policymakers deal with the mobility drivers—at the national, regional, and international levels—and the extent to which they comprehend enabling/disabling environs, as well as the conditions of migrants, influence their migration management and governance. This article delves into the challenges to human mobility in the context of reverse migration in Asia triggered by regional and international circumstances—from the Gulf War (1990), the global financial crisis (2008) to the Arab Spring (2011) and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). The article also brings out the scenario of reverse migration in Asia, in general, and South and Southeast Asia, in particular.