Ethiopian Female Labor Migration to the Middle East Countries: an Investigation of Migrants’ Readiness Level Prior to Departure

Abstract

A large number of Ethiopian girls and women have migrated to Middle Eastern countries for employment, where they often face exploitation and abuse. Enhancing pre-departure awareness is crucial to mitigating these risks. This study investigates the level of pre-departure preparedness among Ethiopian female migrant domestic workers and assesses whether legal migrants are better informed than their illegal counterparts. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, data were collected from both legal and illegal migrant returnees through a survey (n=224), in-depth interviews, and FGDs. In addition, key informant interviews were also employed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the survey data, whereas thematic analysis was applied for the qualitative part. The findings reveal generally low levels of pre-departure awareness among migrants. Statistical significance difference was not found between legal and illegal migrants despite legal migrants expected to be better prepared and informed. This finding raises critically question about effectiveness of legal migration process and highlight the necessity of thorough and successful pre-departure orientation programs in addition to encouraging migrants to actively participate in their own preparation so that they can make wellinformed decisions before leaving.