Return migrants’ socio-economic mobility in Egypt

Abstract

This study assesses the role of return migration in intertemporal and intergenerational transmission of socio-economic status in Egypt across 1998–2018. We link individuals’ current outcomes to those in prior years and to their fathers’ outcomes. We first evaluate individuals’ socio-economic mobility across the years and generations as a function of their cross-border migration history, pre-existing social status and demographics. We find that migration destination is driven by historical and geographic considerations. Migrant flow is highly concentrated into a handful of host countries, from predominantly rural areas, disadvantaged governorates and less educated workers. Upon their return, they find employment in more lucrative occupations than other workers. Return migrants are more socioeconomically mobile than non-migrants, but they outperform non-migrants even in prior occupations, indicating that their predispositions may affect their outcomes more than their migration experiences themselves.