The migrant match game

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

Business

4.7 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

About 2 percent of the global population lives in countries where they're not citizens, and many of these migrants are seeking economic opportunities. This flow of people can benefit countries with aging populations and shrinking workforces, but only when migrants' skills are in demand in the places where they land. Today on the show, we look at what it can take to make a good match.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	NPR.
0:07.0	A few years ago, Carlos Cabrera was more than a decade into his career at Venezuela's
0:16.8	state-owned oil company.
0:18.9	He had started there after getting his degree in chemical engineering, and he had advanced
0:23.0	to a role as senior project manager, leading a team of eight people from different departments.
0:28.6	This is the go-to company when I graduated.
0:32.3	I always want to work there.
0:35.5	When Carlos started at the company, he earned the equivalent of $4,000 a month.
0:40.9	But by 2017, Venezuela was in the throes of a year's long economic crisis.
0:46.4	There was hyperinflation and poverty, and the local currency had basically become worthless.
0:52.5	The salary had shrunk from, for grand a month, to the equivalent of just $20 USD.
0:58.5	It was a wake-up call, like, we're going to move right now.
1:03.0	This is an emergency.
1:04.6	Carlos didn't see a future for his two kids in Venezuela, so his family uprooted their
1:08.9	whole lives and moved to the US.
1:11.5	But despite his degree and years of experience, he couldn't get a job in his field.
1:15.8	Thank you for taking your time, but we have to move forward with another candidate.
1:21.4	They always say the same thing.
1:23.4	It's like a script that you already know.
1:26.5	To survive, he did everything from food delivery to stocking shelves.
1:31.6	This is the indicator from planet money.
1:33.2	I'm Daryl Moods.
	...

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