More than 15% of the population of the Republic of Moldova intends to emigrate to another country during the next three years. One third of these are aged between 15 and 35. Most of those who intend to leave are from the municipality of Chisinau, Basarabeasca, Ungheni and Drochia – 23%, shows the Generations and Gender Survey that was examined in a public debate entitled “Migration and demographic implications for fertility in the Republic of Moldova”, IPN reports.
Tatiana Tabac, researcher of the Chisinau-based National Institute of Economic Research, said the employed men from urban areas are 3.8 times more oriented to emigration than the men from rural areas. The emigration intention is higher among those who work and have a work program longer than 40 hours a week. The emigration intention among employees who live in rented accommodations is 1.5 times higher than among those who own dwellings.
Among the demographic policies that can be implemented to improve the situation are the balanced development of regions and improvement of the living standards in regions. The quality of education also needs to be improved. “There is a wide discrepancy between the offers existing on the national labor market and the expectations of the population. The population needs to take up several jobs to be able to ensure decent living conditions,” stated Tatiana Tabac, noting that these tendencies lead to professional dissatisfaction and the intention to emigrate.
Natalia Plugaru, UNFPA Moldova Assistant Representative, said that even if the global population rises and will soon reach 8 billion, many countries, in particular the Republic of Moldova, witness a continuous decline in population.
She noted that the quality of life, services and public infrastructure are among the social problems that make the people leave. “Those who leave are mainly of reproductive age, who should have children in the near future. Each third person aged between 15 and 24 said that they intend to leave. This means they will give birth to children in other countries. That’s why Moldova’s population will continue to decline,” stated Natalia Plugaru.
Among the barriers that influence the fertility rate is also the lack of care services, especially for children aged between 0 and 2. Aliona Crețu, head of the Demographic Policies Service of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, said they work in this regard. “As from October 1, the children younger than two, either their parents are socially insured or not, will receive a monthly allowance of 1,000 lei. The child benefit for twins and more children born at once was increased,” noted Aliona Crețu.
The public debate “Migration and demographic implications for fertility in the Republic of Moldova” was held as part of the regional Demographic Resilience Program of the UNFPA.