Keralites working in 182 of 195 countries in the world

KOCHI: The old joke that there is every chance that you may encounter a Keralite running a tea shop in the North pole or South pole of the earth seems to be almost true. Keralites are working in almost 93 % of the countries across the globe today, according to data compiled by NORKA Roots, the Kerala government agency dealing with the affairs of Kerala’s expats.

Keralites are working in 182 countries, with the majority working in the UAE and this information is based on the Pravasi ID registration details from 2018 to 2022 with NORKA. While this is the official number, sources said that the unofficial numbers may be much more as there are several Keralites with Indian passports working abroad but not yet registered with NORKA. There are 195 countries in the world today, with 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine.

“This shows that Malayalis are moving to almost all countries across the globe that have employment potential. Therefore, it is now more important for us to strengthen our process of building a migration eco system for meeting the aspirations of our potential migrants,” said Norka Roots CEO Harikrishnan Namboothiri K.

The Pravasi ID registration card comes with an accident insurance up to Rs 4 lakh and this ID card is crucial as Kerala government is in the know of where its people are, so that they can reach out to them in case of an emergency. A total of 4,36,960 people from Kerala have the Pravasi ID and it includes both skilled and unskilled workers.

Of these, the majority are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - 1,80,465, followed by 98,783 in Saudi Arabia and 53,463 in Qatar. Even in countries which are at war, there are people from God’s Own Country working there. In Russia, there are 213 Keralites, while in Ukraine it is 1227. Israel has 1,036 Keralites and in Palestine there are 4 Keralites. In Canada, which had escalated tension with the Indian government over the Nijjar Killing row, there are 659 Keralites. While there are 1,031 persons working in the UK registered with NORKA, the data shows 954 Keralites working in the USA.

Even in China, there are 573 Keralites working. However, there are no Keralite working in countries like Pakistan, North Korea, etc as per NORKA registration data.

Explaining the changing trend of Malayalis migrating across the globe, S Irudaya Rajan, chair, International Institute of Migration and Development, Kerala said, “Malayalis are addicted to migration and the numbers may not be limited to just 182 now. Migration is now in the blood of a Malayali. Also Malayalis migrate to at least three or four countries before deciding on a country to settle in.”

Officials said that Kerala immigrants primarily migrate to earn money and once they have decided to leave the country, then they are fine with going to any country where they can earn more money than here. It is only after four to five years of earning,that they, especially skilled labour, may think about quality of life, children’s education and decide on where they want to settle abroad with their family.

“Only 10% return to Kerala in their old age. Most of them continue to stay in a foreign land or move to the place where their children stay,” added Rajan.