DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESSFUL LABOUR MARKET REINTEGRATION FOR HIGHLY EDUCATED RETURN MIGRANTS IN SLOVAKIA

This paper examines factors contributing to the successful labour market reintegration of return migrants to Slovakia in 2015. We use data from a web survey to study the relative importance of migration and return motivations, labour market factors and personal characteristics in explaining the success or failure of post-return labour market integration. We find that migration purpose and the preparedness of returnees affect reintegration prospects more than labour market factors. Those migrants who returned after having fulfilled goals defined at the outset of migration had significantly higher chances of reintegrating successfully. Returnees’ expectations in terms of employment opportunities and wage levels might hamper employment prospects after return. Our work calls for further research to better understand the interrelated nature of migration motivations, return motivations and post-return labour market outcomes.