Irregular Migration: causes and consequences of young adult migration from southern Ethiopia to South Africa

The study investigates the socioeconomic and demographic causes and consequences of irregular migration of youth from southern Ethiopia to South Africa. The sample includes 658 eligible young adults aged 15 to 50. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was carried out on Feb. 2010. Data are gathered from four randomly selected local districts and then households from two zones in southern Ethiopia using questionnaire, interviews and discussions. The irregular migration is dominated by young single male aged 20 to 34. The majority of the smuggled migrants are first or second born children. Age, residence and employment status have a significant positive association with migration while sex, marital status, education, duration of residence and birth order have a significant negative association. Household size and ethnicity are found to be insignificant. Over 44% of the respondents view the main cause for the irregular migration to be perceived better opportunities in South Africa and only 8% of them claimed poverty. The migration is facilitated by a network of smugglers in Addis Ababa, Hossana or other towns in Ethiopia and they work in cooperation with several smugglers from Kenya and Somalia. Return migrants are better off now than before migration. Many of the smuggled migrants faced harsh & unexpected negative consequences.