Migration

Focus areas

	Evidence-based employment scenarios		Employment monitoring
	Macro-economy, economic bias & employment		Employment-oriented industry studies
	The informal economy		Government employment creation programmes
	Labour markets and social policy		Migration
	Regional dynamics		Social dialogue
	Employment policy network		Food Security, Agriculture and Rural Development

South Africa has been a major recipient and sender of migrants in the region. Little is known about the impact of migration in Africa and very patchy migration data exists across the continent.  Both internal and cross border migration figures and behaviour are based on estimates that vary widely. There is therefore a need for:

• better understanding of the characteristics of migrants and sending and receiving behaviour
• informing national policy-makers about the pace and trends in migration and remittances
• establishing determinants, consequences and development impacts
• establishing impacts of migration and remittances on such issues as identity and economic participation

The Labour migration project aims to stimulate a substantial investigation into critical gaps in Africa migration, employment and development and into appropriate strategies for South Africa to harness positive outcomes from migration in line with the Government's objective to halve poverty and promote sustainable livelihoods. It is also our objective to begin to seriously work on building reliable representative datasets on African migration.  It is organised into 3 phases, with the first phase producing an overview of the key questions and analysis of available knowledge on migration and development and designing a bigger research agenda and project. To date the project has produced a bibliography of migration research in Africa, established a regional reference group, and developed think-piece papers on critical migration questions including:

• Under what conditions can migration be welfare-enhancing for a host and sender country? What are the potential contributors to employment, growth, income distribution, trade, investment, skills transfer or service delivery, and how might these play out in different contexts? How can the benefits be harnessed?
• What is the potential impact on service delivery, poverty, inequality, growth, employment and unemployment in host and sender countries, and what are the policy implications?

Background documents

• Todes, A, Kok, P, Wentzel, M, Van Zyl, J and Cross, C (2008) Contemporary South African urbanisation dynamics (Paper for UNU-WIDER conference: Beyond the Tipping Point. African Development in an Urban World. 21 June)
    Full text
  
• Cross, C., Mafukidze, J., Hoosen, F.  (2009) Migration, Identity and Xenophobia:  Legitimacy at the Roots of Conflict
   Full Text
• Cross, C. et al (2009) Migration Management Challenges in South Africa: The Next Ten Years
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• Cross, C. (2008) Toward Effective Spatial Planning at Municipal Level:  The TIP Settlement Typology and Survey Results
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• Cross, C. (2008) Housing delivery as anti-poverty:  is South Africa on the right track?
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• Cross, C. (2008) PM live Interview: Could xenophobia stem from the hostel-dwelling population?
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• Cross, C. (2006) Housing as anti-poverty:  where's the bottom line?
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• Cross, Gelderblom, Roux & Mafukidze (eds.) ( 2006) Views on migration in Sub-Saharan Africa:  Proceedings of an African Migration Alliance workshop
  Available at: http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/product.php?productid=2158