ABSTRACT
Over the last decade, India has positioned itself as a key participant in the global movement of skilled workers. India has taken definitive steps through several mobility agreements to transform from primarily sending low-skilled labourers to becoming a vital source of skilled professionals in fields such as healthcare, STEM and construction. Simultaneously, due to the ongoing unemployment, widespread underemployment and disparities in regional development in India, the educated youth are increasingly seeking opportunities internationally. But India continues to grapple with substantial challenges in developing a robust and efficient migration infrastructure capable of facilitating the mobility of its skilled workforce without resulting in a detrimental outflow of talent. Addressing these complexities necessitates cooperation and support from destination countries to ensure equitable and mutually beneficial migration outcomes. This thesis argues for India’s twofold position in the international skill migration arena: as a major supplier of skilled labour and as a potential destination for foreign expertise. It uses the ‘Migration Skill Corridors’ framework to explain how equitable skill movement can be achieved, along with tackling domestic issues while addressing global needs. For illustrating this, the chapter uses the India-Germany corridor as an example of a mutually beneficial corridor tandem.
