The 'economic' orientations of Maltese migrants in London : work, money and social status

Abstract

Migration and the pursuit of 'economic' advantages are generally considered to be closely related. The migrant aspires to a wider range of opportunities available with regard to his work and financial benefits. In Malta, this relationship has been traditionally' emphasized by the proponents of emigration as a remedy to the Island's chronic problem of overpopulation and scarce' economic' resources. In his study of Maltese migration during the nineteenth century, C. A. Price contends that the principal factors affecting the scale of migration at that time were 'economic'. Successive periods of poverty at home sometimes drove the Maltese overseas while at other times they were attracted by boom conditions abroad. Such an attitude towards migration has persisted throughout the present century and has received a new emphasis from both the proponents and the opponents of migration since World War n.