Socio-professional situations and skills

The data allowed the evolution of the interviewed migrants’ professional situation to be analysed, with reference to three distinct stages:

1. In the origin country, over 60% of the interviewed migrants were employed before leaving their homeland and worked in agricultural, building and trading sectors (Tab. B2). Among them, over 20% had a permanent employment contract (Tab. B1).
   
2. As to both the first and the last professional situations abroad, a significant segment of the migrants had a permanent employment contract in the main immigration country (Tab. B3 & Tab. B4). Migrants who were forced to return to their homeland were employed mainly as seasonal workers. The main sectors of activity are agriculture, hotel industry and catering, as well as building industry and trading (Tab. B5). The same sectorial concentration can be observed in the origin country (Tab. B8).
3. At the time of the return to the home country, the segment of retired returnees amounted to 17.2% of the sample (Tab. B6) and to 17.8% at the time of the survey (Tab. B7). Besides the category of migrants with a permanent job contract, the percentage of entrepreneurs is worthy of notice, especially with regard to the migrants who decided to return individually. Moreover, whereas the unemployed account for 10% of the whole sample, at the time of the survey (Tab. B7), they amount to over 25% of the total number of the migrants who were forced to return.

The sample reflects a rather high level of education (Tab. B10). About half of the interviewees had a secondary school certificate or a university degree, more particularly among the migrants who were forced to return to their homeland. On the other hand, over 18% of the migrants who decided individually to return to their origin country had no qualification whatsoever at the time of their going abroad, in contrast with only 3.5% of the migrants who were forced to return.

Nearly one out of every two migrants in possession of a school degree before going abroad declared his/her qualification was recognized in the host country (Tab. B11). Moreover, only a quarter of the total number furthered their studies abroad (Tab. B12) and only half of these could have their overseas qualification recognized in their origin country (Tab. B13).

Few return migrants attended professional training courses abroad during their migration experience. In fact, only 17.5% of the total number of migrants (Tab. B14) achieved some professional training abroad. Only 4% of the total number could benefit from professional training in their origin country at the time of their return (Tab. B15).