CHANGES IN THE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKING AMONG BULGARIAN MIGRANTS

Analyses based on a national representative survey in Bulgaria, financed by the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation program

Dr. Dotcho Mihailov, Agency for Socioeconomic Analyses

METHODOLOGY National representative survey with a sample of 3907

people aged 15-65 Distribution by planning regions Northwest - 428, North central - 457,

Northeast - 520, Southwest - 1157 (including Sofia), South central - 787, Southeast 558

Model: Two-stage probability cluster sample, stratified by place of residence with a Kish selection at the last step (nearest birthday method)

Maximal margin of error at a 50% relative frequency: 1,57% nationally, about 3,8% regionally

Data collection: Interviewers of the Agency for socioeconomic analyses through

standardized questionnaire Data collection period: November 2013

Data control Data entry through a mask, ensuring minimum operator errors; Local and central 10% telephone direct check ups

Sample peculiarities of the presented data: Return migrants data based on 15,5% (606 respondents) Potential migrants (24,9%) Preliminary data

EMPLOYMENT SHIFTS

Percent unem-ployed return

migrants

19.6%

2.8%

36.8%

Before migrationAbroadBack home

Economic activity abroad: Most of the migrants (74,5%) work; only 2,8% are unemployed

Unemployment back home is particularly typical for the unqualified labour force; freelancers and state officials recover better after going back home

Migration decreases unemployment but returning home puts an even bigger burden on unemployment

RETURN MIGRANTS’ OCCUPATIONS ABROAD

agriculture - 21,1%

construction - 19,6%

hotels and restaurants - 14,0%

household/family activities - helper, caretaker, cook, garden - 13,1%

By qualification groups By economic activity

26.8%

3.3% 3.4%1.3%

PROFESSIONAL SHIFTS

Before Abroad Back home

8.7%

26.7%

19.3%

9.6%

3.4%

19.3%

Elemen-tary

Specialists

By economic activities By qualification groups

Before migration

Abroad Back home

5.2%

21.1%

2.9%

18.6%19.6%

17.6%

2.0%

13.1%

1.3%2.1%

0.7%

3.9%

Agriculture

Construction

Household activities

Education sector

SHIFTS IN INCOMES

Before Abroad Back home

500

2000

400

700

1700

630

400

1600

300

Return migrants median income BGN

Total

Sofia

Village

The median income surges 4 times abroad cannot recover when coming

back home

Being abroad decreases income inequality and social contrasts The decile dispersion ratio is

the lowest abroad No differences between

Roma and Bulgarians when they are abroad: BGN 2000 versus BGN 500/300

INSURANCE STATUS

Social benefits abroad 3,4% granted 2,1% rejected

Social benefits back home - 40,3% (36% unemployed)

Working migrants without contracts – 46,1%

Social insurance deteriorates when going back home (58,8% abroad – 54,4% back home)

Deteriorated access to health services back home (rejected health services 3,1% abroad / 11,2% back home)

Sustained low health insurance levels - 62,6% versus 69,6% back home, but still under the 84,5% nationally (age 15-65)

Higfher social benefits back home

Deteriorated access to services back home

NETWORKING WHILE ARRIVING ABROAD

Individual networking via close relatives (22,8%)

Group networking via colleagues/friends and people from the home town, typical for lower social strata (24,3%)

How - mostly via group networking (48%) Bulgarian colleagues /

acquaintances 34,7% people from the home

town 13,3%

What jobs Via group networking –

low qualified jobs Via internet and agencies

– better off social groups; better jobs

Initial travel Finding a job

NETWORKING WITH HOME AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES Networking with Bulgaria less dependent on travel:

Skype (70,8%) - the most frequent channel of communication, typical for active social strata

Travel (37,9%) - typical for lower social strata, indicating insecure jobs abroad

Networking is focused on Bulgarians: Interactions with the local community is much lower than

with the Bulgarians - 66,9% / 80,8% Addressing Bulgarians or locals in a problematic situation:

45,9% / 15,5% Interactions focused on interactions with Bulgarians -

typical for lower social strata though the opposite is not verified for the richer

Relative self-categorisations in lower social strata 80,8% - the Bulgarians are of the “same” social status as

me 49,7% - I am of lower social status than the locals

SELF-IDENTITY SHIFTS AMONG RETURN AND POTENTIAL MIGRANTS

7.3%11.7%

69.6%

8.0%

2.4% 1.0%

15.9%

23.3%

6.2%

48.1%

3.8% 2.2% 0.5%

Cultural self-identity

Total

About 1/3 (29,4%) of the Bulgarians at national have other than national Bulgarian identity

Who are the that do not feel Bulgarian: 46,7% of the

potential emigrants and 45,4% of the circular migrants feel either EU and World citizens

young, educated and richer people, coming from bigger settlements

SELF-IDENTITY SHIFTS, RESULTING FROM THE MIGRATION EXPERIENCE

The multicultural (World) identity dramatically surges from 6,2% (national sample) to 15,9% (return migrants)

Multicultural identity - based on active socio-economic and demographic profiles

Lower dependency on ethnic identity: Turks are the strongest “Europeans” (25,5% EU

identity), the Bulgarians are the biggest Wold citizens

(17,8%) the Roma are the biggest “Bulgarians” (59,1%) –

bigger than the ethnic Bulgarian themselves (49,4%)

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