Author
Author
Alina Hovhannisyan
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the unprecedented number of Russian individuals and companies relocating to Armenia has transformed the country from being primarily a source of immigrants to an accepting country. This has caused some difficulties (such as inflation and appreciation of the Armenian dram against the US dollar) but at the same time, it has created opportunities for local economic growth. Although Armenia has started to respond to this emerging situation by simplifying some integration processes and providing support in particular cases, the extent to which these approaches are compatible with local interests and sustainable economic development is not yet clear. Even though there are some statistics on newcomers and evidence suggesting that many of them are skilled professionals from the IT sector, we still need comprehensive research to understand their backgrounds, expectations, and plans in Armenia for the future. We also need to understand whether these highly skilled professionals are truly needed in the Armenian economy (and, if so to what extent). The country’s local conditions in this respect are no less important to be able not only to attract the appropriate highly skilled professionals but also to effectively integrate them. This policy brief is devoted to the issue of the economic development opportunities brought by increasing high-skill immigration (mostly from Russia) to Armenia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Keywords: immigration, relocatee, labor market, highly skilled professional (HSP), Information technologies (IT).
Policy Brief #55 | November 2023
This publication was produced in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region and the Georgian Institute of Politics.
