International migration has been a vital aspect of labour markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), particularly Egypt. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the determinants of migration intentions among youth in Egypt.
The author indicates that studying factors shaping development of migration intentions is important to understanding the migration decision process and predicting future migration flows. The paper uses the 2009 Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE); and, based on this fielded survey, the author finds that one in three young men in the age group 15-29 express willingness/intention to migrate. More specifically, the paper notes that the young group 15-17 is more likely to aspire to migrate.
The document also finds that having a migrant on one’s social network is one of the key factors in developing migration aspirations. Furthermore, the wealthiest youth are more likely to want to migrate to the West. However, the author finds other variables not statistically significant. These include: religion, being an unemployed university graduate, squared years of schooling and squared age.
All things considered, the author concludes with the quotation that “worrying about future prospects generally is a push factor.”