Transit migration : a piece of the complex mobility puzzle. The case of Senegalese migration

Cet article analyse la migration de transit en tant que séjour temporaire dans un ou plusieurs pays en vue d’atteindre une autre destination plus lointaine. En particulier, la migration de transit est étudiée comme partie intégrante des stratégies de mobilité. Dans une perspective de “migration prolongée”, on cherche les façons dont ces mouvements s’insèrent dans des trajectoires migratoires considérées dans leur globalité. Où prennent place les transits ? De quels pays sont-ils issus, vers où se destinent-ils ? Comment se positionnent-ils et quel est leur rôle dans les trajectoires migratoires d’ensemble ? L’article traite de ces questions.Dans le contexte d’une augmentation des flux migratoires et d’une complexité plus grande des routes de l’émigration africaine vers l’Europe, les migrations par étapes se sont développées progressivement en tant que stratégies émergeantes, la migration de transit jouant un rôle de plus en plus important dans ces stratégies.Si la migration à destination de l’Europe provenant d’Afrique, ou passant par l’Afrique, a fait l’objet d’une grande attention (et d’un fort intérêt politique), il manque une vue compréhensive des systèmes de mobilité géographique et des interrelations complexes entre les différentes étapes des trajectoires migratoires. Cette approche intégrée est une pré-condition pour comprendre la migration de transit et son rôle dans des modèles de mobilité élargis.Grâce à leur caractère rétrospectif les données nouvelles du projet Migration between Africa and Europe (MAFE) fournissent des indications quantitatives sur les routes suivies par les Sénégalais tout au long de la vie et, par là, permettent de retracer les trajectoires biographiques intégrales des migrants avec leurs différentes étapes, incluant la migration de transit (http://www.mafeproject.com)L’analyse descriptive et séquentielle est utilisée afin d’obtenir une compréhension des conséquences géographiques et chronologiques des trajectoires migratoires globales des migrants sénégalais (en se focalisant sur quatre pays enquêtés). La structure des modèles migratoires est étudiée grâce à un approche longitudinale, étape par étape, permettant de définir les façons dont les transits s’insèrent dans les trajectoires plus larges.Les principaux résultats obtenus indiquent que le transit : (1) peut appartenir à des épisodes aussi bien courts que longs en vue d’atteindre d’autres pays dans la migration, (2) a souvent lieu au début des carrières migratoires mais peut aussi bien se passer à des étapes plus tardives, et qu’il peut être un événement réitéré, (3) qu’il concerne des déplacements visant une destination européenne, mais qui, en même temps, peuvent se développer et s’orienter aussi bien dans l’espace africain qu’européen. Cet article montre comment le transit peut consister en une stratégie de mobilité adoptée par les migrants à différents moments et dans différents contextes géographiques de leurs carrières migratoires, et qui vient à assumer différentes caractéristiques et différentes fonctions dans le cours de la vie.The article aims at analyzing transit migration, conceived as the temporary stay in one or more countries, with the objective of reaching a further destination. Transit migration will be in particular studied as part of broader mobility strategies, in a perspective of “continuous migration”, looking at how these movements are embedded in overall migration trajectories. Where do transits take place ? From which countries do they originate and where do they lead to ? Which position and role do they assume in the overall migration trajectories ? These questions will be addressed and explored in this paper.In the context of increasing complexity and fluidity of flows and routes of African migration to Europe, step-by-step migrations have progressively developed as an emerging strategy, with transit migration assuming an increasingly prominent role in migration strategies. Although migration from and via Africa to the EU has received considerable attention (and is the subject of strong political concern), there is still a lack of comprehensive insight into geographical mobility systems and the complex interrelations between different stages of migration trajectories. Such an integrated approach is a precondition for the understanding of transit migration and of its role within the broader migrants’ mobility patterns.Thanks to their retrospective nature, new data from the Migration between Africa and Europe (MAFE) project provide new quantitative evidence on the routes used by Senegalese all along their life course, and, hence, allow to retrace the complete biographical trajectories of migrants through their different steps, including transit migration (Web site of the research project : www.mafeproject.com).Descriptive and sequence analysis is used in order to provide insight into spatial and chronological outcomes of whole migration trajectories of Senegalese migrants (with a focus on four surveyed countries). The structure of migration patterns is studied through a step-wise longitudinal approach, in order to define how transits are embedded in broader migration trajectories.The main findings of the analysis indicate that transit : (1) can pertain to short as well as long migration episodes aiming at pursuing the migration to other countries (2) occur often at the beginning of migration careers, but also at later stages and can be re-iterated events (3) are movements aimed at reaching Europe, but at the same time can be developed and oriented within the African space as well as within the European one. The article shows how transit can be a mobility strategy adopted by migrants at different moments and geographical contexts of their migration career, assuming different characteristics and roles all along the life-course

Remittances and the economic crisis : evidence from the Greenback 2.0 survey in Italy

Monetary remittances represent the most visible transnational activity of migrants and can be considered as a function of migrant’s ability of producing savings from income and of remitting (supply side), and of the type of claims of family members, either left in the country of origin or residing abroad with the migrant (demand side). Hence, migrant’s remitting capacity is directly linked to the level of economic integration at destination. However, what happens to remittances when the labor market becomes uncertain and the earning potential decreases? Based on a recent survey, this paper explores the effect of the economic crisis on income trends and on the flow of monetary remittances sent to the families left home among three surveyed groups in Turin—Moroccans, Peruvians and Romanians. Results show a widespread worsening of the average economic conditions since the outbreak of the crisis in 2008. The protracted economic instability seems to have effects on migrants’ ability to keep remittance flows constant over time, with differentiated outcomes according to the national groups. While Moroccans show a higher propensity in receiving remittances, Peruvians are those who resist more to a remittance drop over the last five years. Beyond economic determinants, observed patterns in remittance trends can also be explained by migrant household characteristics in Italy and abroad and to unobserved variables (distance) related to the country of origin

Quels sont les facteurs de migration multiple en Europe? Les migrations sénégalaises entre la France, l’Italie et l’Espagne

Onward mobility leaving the country of destination in order to move to a third country is an under-researched phenomenon which challenges the idea that migration is a one-off event, leading to permanent settlement in the country of destination. Taking advantage of a recent multi-sited survey on migration between Senegal and France, Italy and Spain, this article examines the drivers of onward mobility within Europe. The biographic nature of the data enables us to adopt a life-course perspective and to analyse, in a discrete-time event history framework, the ways in which processes of economic, legal and social integration at destination shape subsequent mobility trajectories. Findings show that the low-skilled, the self-employed and the unemployed, as well as those lacking longer-term residence permits are the most likely to re-migrate. Furthermore, the presence of kin and friends in the country of settlement discourages remigration, whereas social ties in other European countries constitute one of the most important resources in triggering onward mobility within Europe

Becoming Laoban [Boss]: Questioning The Peculiarity Of Professional Trajectories And Strategies Of Chinese Migrant Entrepreneurs

International audienceThe article is aimed at exploring the individual and collective business strategies of Chinese in Italy, and in Turin in particular. The essay draws from the results of a research on Chinese entrepreneurship carried out between 2010 and 2011 by FIERI in the frame of a joint research program with the Chamber of Commerce of Turin, and is based on qualitative life and business histories of Chinese entrepreneurs in Turin (Italy). First, some background historical and statistical data are provided in order to frame the phenomenon of self-employment of Chinese in Turin within the broader national context, highlighting some local features. Then, the migratory trajectories and professional pathways are analyzed, as well as the communitarian transnational resources activated for the startup of autonomous activities. The research reveals that Chinese migration and entrepreneurship are shaped by three fundamental elements: the close link between migration chains and job placement processes, the strong and ambivalent role of family and community networks in shaping socio-economic integration and the multilateral configuration of transnational interaction. Though, these features, rather than being interpreted as specific and exclusive of the "Chinese case”, reveal to be common to most migratory contexts and migration business compositions, as widely discussed in the literature, but in higher “doses”, constituting specific characteristics in terms of degree and intensity, rather than peculiarity in absolute terms

Understanding Transnational Labour Market Trajectories of African-European Migrants: Evidence from the MAFE Survey

Labor market trajectories of migrants are seldom explored in a longitudinal and comparative perspective. However, a longitudinal approach is crucial for a better understanding of migrants’ long-term occupational attainments, while comparative research is useful to disentangle specificities and general processes across destination and origin countries. This article explores the labor market outcomes of migrants from Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ghana in different European countries, using the MAFE data to compare their occupational attainments before migration, upon arrival and during the first 10 years of stay in Europe in a longitudinal perspective. Results highlight different pattern of migrants’ selection across destinations, influenced by prior employment status and education, gender and colonial legacies, and which impact subsequent trajectories into the European labor markets. Our analyses also show a severe worsening of migrants’ occupational status in Europe compared to their situation prior to migration, which is the resultant of a dramatic downgrading upon entry and of a slow occupational recovering during the first 10 years of stay in Europe. Results suggest that the educational–occupational mismatch of skilled workers might represent a long-lasting “price” for migrants, unless (further) educational credentials are achieved in destination countries