Micronesians on the Move
Hezel, Francis X. (2013). Micronesians on the Move. 9. Honolulu, HI: East-West Center. ISBN 978-0-86638-231-1.
- Has attachment: File:66IQVTLW.pdf
Abstract: Is out-migration an admission of a Pacific Island nation’s failure to fulfill its economic promise and provide the jobs that its citizens seek in a modernized society? Or is it a legitimate alternative strategy for development, through the export of surplus labor, in lieu of the more conventional methods recommended by donor nations and international financial institutions? In this paper, Francis X. Hezel, SJ, reviews the 30-year history of migration from one Pacific Island nation, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and examines the current status of its migrants with an eye to shedding light on this question. Although the first traces of migration from the FSM were apparent in 1980, Hezel reports, the outflow increased sharply with the implementation of the Compact of Free Association in 1986. In return for exclusive strategic access by the United States, the Compact granted FSM citizens entry into the United States and its territories to establish residence and work.
This report traces the growth of the early migrant communities on Guam and Saipan, and the ensuing migration eastward to Hawai‘i and the US mainland. The size of the outflow from the FSM has grown with the years, even as the island economy has sputtered. At present, fully one-third of all FSMborn people live outside their island nation. Hezel presents the results of an important—first-of-its-kind—2012 survey of FSM migrants, showing that an ever-greater share of the migrant population is settling in the continental United States. From 1995 to 2000, the survey data show, the net gain of FSM citizens in the continental United States was 700 annually; during the next 12 years, that number grew to 1,200 annually. In North America, FSM citizens are able to find more abundant jobs, reduce their cost of living, and escape some of the negative stereotypes found on Guam and in Hawai‘i. The survey revealed that the median hourly wage for Micronesian migrants in the US mainland was about $11 an hour—much higher than the wage in Hawai‘i and on Guam.
In this report, Hezel is concerned with more than merely numbers. He also lays out some of the difficulties migrants from the FSM faced in settling into their new homes and tracks the changes in their living conditions over time. Even if Micronesians continue migrating at their current pace, there is clear evidence that their living conditions are improving with time. So too are their potential contributions to American society and to their families and friends back home.
Extra details:
MAG: 1791215929 OpenAlex: W1791215929 CorpusID: 166735286
