IMPACT OF REMIGRATION ON THE WORK SPHERE UNDER COVID-19: THE CASE OF LITHUANIA

Abstract

Remigration opens up the opportunity for a country to see the return of its citizens from migration, bringing with them their ideas, knowledge, values and skills. The work sphere is one of the main areas where these social remittances can be used. Still, very little attention is paid to the workplace in social remittance literature. Therefore, the first aim of this article is to explore the types of remigrants’ social remittances, the ways they are transmitted and their acceptance in the work sphere. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the work sphere was heavily affected as many workplaces were closed because of the quarantine and requirements to maintain social distancing. Thus, the second aim of this article is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the transfer of remigrants’ social remittances to the work sphere. The article is based on 15 interviews with highly-qualified remigrants and five interviews with their colleagues working in Lithuania. The interviews were conducted in May–July 2020 within the project ‘Social remittances of remigrants for society welfare growth: challenges and experiences in a comparative perspective’, financed by the Research Council of Lithuania.