The country’s history is marked by waves of migration that have left a lasting impact on its culture and traditions. Today, immigration continues to play an important role in the country’s development, providing a source of skills and talent that contribute to the growth of the economy. We have also noticed that there are more male immigrants than female. While there are challenges associated with immigration, such as integration and language barriers, these can be addressed through targeted policies and programs. Ultimately, it is important for Mauritius to maintain a balance between ensuring national security and promoting a welcoming environment for immigrants.
Latest Trends and Figures for Immigration in Mauritius.
NOTE: The statistics for 2020 is provisional.
There were 30,916 foreign employees in the nation in 2019 working in large establishments, according to statistics gathered by Statistics Mauritius, with 24,674 men and 6,242 women making up the majority. These people were engaged in a range of industries, including construction, trade, and manufacture.
According to the General Assembly Resolution A/RES/74/148 on the Protection of Migrants, employees, or more than half of the migrant Labour, were from Bangladesh.
The latest data from Statistics Mauritius reveals a persistent gender gap among foreign workers in the country. In 2021, there were 23,991 male immigrant workers compared to 6,053 females. This trend remains consistent year after year, with males making up more than 75% of the total population of foreign workers.
The majority of these immigrant workers are employed in the construction and manufacturing industries, comprising more than half of the foreign workforce.
Growth of foreign population in Mauritius.
According to research, there is an increase in the foreign population in Mauritius overall through the year 2020. Based on calculations, it has been estimated that at least 3.6% of the Mauritian population are immigrants.
These statistics highlight the important contribution that foreign labour makes to Mauritius’ economy as well as the persisting gender imbalance in this workforce. They also call into question the working conditions and rights provided to these employees, especially in light of ongoing initiatives to increase labour standards and guarantee the security and well-being of all employees in the nation.
Migrants and the Mauritian economy
Immigrants, commonly known as expats cause significant impact to the Mauritian economy. In Mauritius, human capital plays a crucial role in its being. Migration is a feature of social and economic life of Mauritius, whereby the profiles of migrant populations vary considerably. Migration impact us in mainly three areas namely the labour market, the public purse and the economic linkage.
The migrants’ contribution to Mauritius’ labour market
Migrant workers to Mauritius make important contributions to the labour market in both high- and low-skilled occupations Over the past ten years, immigrants represented 17% of the increase in the workforce of the country. The workforce of Mauritius equals to 567,600 and counting, whereby there is 342,000 male and 225,600 females. The 17% increase equals to more than 96,492 immigrants nearing 100,000 immigrants in the country.
Education level
The education status of immigrants to Mauritius varies considerably. Those entering the white-collar force, on average over a fourth, are tertiary educated. A much higher proportion, however, has not completed their upper-secondary education. This is because of sector and organisational needs of the economy, the current policy, and the impact on cost of goods sold. The bulk of the workforce is employed in textiles, construction, fish processing, and retail sectors. In all these areas, immigrants are filling labour needs by taking up jobs regarded by domestic workers as unattractive or lacking career prospects.
Do migrants contribute to the public purse ?
When coming to taxes and social contributions, migrants give more than they receive in individual benefits. Immigrants provide an estimated net benefit of 1% of GDP ( Gross Domestic Profit) to the public purse. Immigrants are thus neither a burden to the public purse nor are they the remedy for addressing fiscal challenges. They do contribute to some extent to the financing of public infrastructure. Furthermore, Mauritius do not discriminate between the expats and the local, in tax liability.
How are they linked to the economy ?
Lower rung immigrants in Mauritius have a better fiscal position (the difference between their contributions and the benefits they receive), than some Mauritians. There are immigrants that have a less favourable fiscal position because of the fact that they often have lower wages compared to Mauritians. Happily, the minimum wage regulation applies to expats as well, thus creating a level playing field at the entry level. Employment is the single most important determinant of migrants’ net fiscal contribution which equals to approximately 0.5% of GDP. Most immigrants come to find work and to improve their lives and those of their families. Migration has a large demographic impact, where it is increasing the size of the population and changing the age pyramid of Mauritius. Migrants bring along skills and abilities, thus supplementing the stock of human capital of the host country.
Migrant’s right
Just like nationals, migrants too have certain rights to protect them in Mauritius. Migrants with a valid residence permit may access free public health-care services under the same conditions as nationals.
Access to COVID-19 health care services
COVID-19-related health services are accessible to all migrants under the same conditions as nationals. The national vaccination programme began on 26 January 2021, with front-line workers in the health-care, retail, hospitality and transportation sectors. Individuals with comorbidities were also given priority access to the vaccines. In March 2021, the Government of Mauritius expanded its COVID-19 vaccination programme to include travellers, diplomats and their families, and non-citizens with valid work or residence permits and premium travel visas as well.
Workers’ rights act
Also, all workers, including migrants, are protected against discrimination by the Workers’ Rights Act. Also, to counter exploitation of the migrant worker, CTSP, IndustriALL and Anti-Slavery International set up the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in 2018 to raise awareness on the violation of migrant workers’ human and workers’ rights which are protected by the Mauritian laws. All workers, including migrants, are protected against discrimination by the Workers’ Rights Act (2019), which stipulates that “an agreement shall not be terminated by an employer by reason of a worker’s race, colour, caste, national extraction, social origin, place of his origin, age, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, HIV status, impairment, marital status or family responsibilities”.
Government’s approach to migrants
What initiatives were taken for migrants ?
To not only protect migrants but to also encourage migrants to come to Mauritius, the Government of Mauritius has taken many initiatives. For example, since 2018, the Government has reformed some immigration policies to facilitate immigration procedures for foreign nationals wishing to reside or work and live in Mauritius.
Online platform for permit application
The Economic Development Board (EDB) launched the National Electronic Licensing System (NELS) in 2018 to facilitate the occupation permit application process, reduce wait time and modernize the issuance of registration certificates, as well as expedite the payment of fees. This interactive and user-friendly platform allows online submission and processing of occupation permits for foreign nationals.
Premium visa introduced
Also, in 2020, the Government introduced the Premium Visa, which is valid for a period of one year and renewable, to encourage foreign nationals to stay as tourists, retirees or professionals with their family members, and conduct their business or work activities remotely from Mauritius. Applicants can submit online applications through the National Electronic Licensing System to Passport and Immigration Office (PIO).
Subsidies provided by the government
Moreover, the Government Wage Assistance Scheme (GWAS) provided wage subsidies to employers for employees earning a basic monthly wage of up to MUR 50,000, with a maximum benefit of MUR 12,500 per employee. The Government extended this subsidy to all economic sectors and targeted both nationals and migrant workers in 2020.
Immigration to Mauritius has had a significant role in the growth and development of the nation. The nation has a long history of embracing immigrants and is now a well-liked choice for those searching for a new place to call home.
References
https://www.maurice-info.mu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SEE_Mar22_290922.pdf
https://statsmauritius.govmu.org/Pages/Statistics/ESI/Labour/SEE/SEE_Mar22.aspx
https://statsmauritius.govmu.org/Pages/Statistics/ESI/Labour/SEE/SEE_Mar20.aspx
https://www.migrationdataportal.org/overviews/mgi/mauritius-republic-second-profile#0
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/MUS/mauritius/immigration-statistics
Chandan Kumar Manogee
Deevyasha Runglall
Malikesha Seeruthun
UoM-Communication Studies 