Your job, your life
SOS from Indians working in Ukraine war zone shows why govts must monitor pvt agents
Indians rarely restrict a search for jobs to their own country. They are to be found across job markets. Globally, they are the largest international migrant population. In 2020, there were 17.9 million Indians working abroad. As a result, India is the largest recipient of international remittances. In 2023, World Bank estimated that India received $125 billion through remittances. To put this number in perspective, about $19 of every $100 that flows as international remittance ends up in India.
Account for diversity | Not all who leave India for work are skilled or equipped to deal with dubious intermediaries of overseas employers. For example, four Indians who were tricked into signing up with Wagner, a Russian mercenary outfit, have sent an SOS from the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war.
They say that they signed up to work as army security helpers in Russia.
Push factor | India’s economy has always failed to generate enough jobs of quality. Even in urban India, more than 40% of the workforce is selfemployed, a sign that decent jobs are inadequate. This scarcity allows criminals to exploit the desperation of youth.
Issue isn’t overseas jobs | Youth cannot be protected from exploitation by making it hard for them to take up jobs overseas. The large quantum of remittances that come in each year stabilises consumption patterns of vulnerable families.
Israel route | One way of preventing exploitation is to ensure a degree of oversight in recruitment. Recently, when the Israel government looked at filling skilled labour gaps in its construction industry by recruiting Indian workers, there were two layers of government involved in the process. This kind of oversight will help bridge the information gap between potential recruits and overseas employers. It also keeps out unscrupulous intermediaries.
The root cause of exploitation is the desperation among job seekers in India. It’s not limited to unskilled or very poor seekers. The so-called “dunki” routes of illegal migration cover people who can afford to fly. A better job market here will allow for emigration without stories of exploitation.
This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
END OF ARTICLE