Causes and Consequences of InternationaI Migration: The Case of Mon State, Myanmar

Abstract

This report is based on the Mon State Rural Household Survey (MSRHS) that was conducted by the Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD) in collaboration with Michigan State University and International Food Policy Research Institute between April and September of 2015. Mon State has the highest out-migration in Myanmar with 21 percent of the population moving out of the country, primarily to neighbouring Thailand. This study surveyed 1,680 households from 10 townships and examined the causes, patterns and consequences of migration. In addition to this survey, a sample from the 2014 Population and Housing Census and other quantitative and qualitative data on Mon State were used in this report in order to provide additional insights on migration patterns and consequences. The results of the analysis suggest that labour migration has both negative and positive consequences for the migrants and their families.