Hope at home: How migration contributes to the development of the countries of origin

Research suggests that migrants bring the greatest benefit to their home country when they maintain ties to it and return, or plan to return — they contribute more money, knowledge, and skills. But what influences one's decision to leave or to come back?

In the past decade, some Eastern European countries have welcomed back a significant share of citizens who left after the collapse of the socialist bloc. In particular, Poland and the Baltic states have experienced either increasing remigration or even a situation in which the number of people returning is more than those who left. In 2016, about 2.5 million Poles were living abroad, but by 2025, around one million had returned to their homeland.

Citizens of Eastern European countries largely emigrated due to poverty and a lack of jobs. Data from Lithuania show that the pace of emigration directly correlates with unemployment rates. At the same time, the departure of surplus labor eased pressure on the labor market, pushing wages upward. A 1-percentage-point increase in emigration led to a 0.67% rise in wages, with the effect being more pronounced in groups that accounted for the largest share of outflows — most notably young workers.

Some researchers believe that rising labor costs reduced the competitiveness of Eastern European economies. Nevertheless, improvements in economic conditions, lower unemployment, and rising wages have led people to return. This trend was also supported by Brexit, which triggered economic difficulties in the United Kingdom. The UK’s economic difficulties were also caused by the energy crisis at the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, which, in turn, contributed to a recession in Germany.

Since emigration is often driven by unemployment caused by insufficient capital investment, some countries deliberately design their education systems with the expectation that “surplus” labor will work abroad and send back remittances that can be invested in development. The Philippines is often cited as an example: some 238,000 Filipino nurses work overseas — more than from India, Poland, and the United Kingdom combined, generating around $8 billion in remittances, which accounts for roughly 2% of the country’s GDP.