An analysis of the relationship between internal migration and education in Indonesia

Education and other human capital factors are widely considered to have significant roles in many context including migration. The explicit incorporation of education heterogeneity into migration studies produces different profiles. For example, accounting for education heterogeneity indicates an increase in migration intensities due to better educated persons tend to have a positive impact on the migration for entering or changing jobs. Students from rural areas would also migrate for attending higher education in urban areas once the access or quality of education is taken into account. This report aims to explore the relationship between internal migration and education in Indonesia over the last three decades. Using the Indonesian census/inter-censal survey data, the study outlines an overall profile of migration and its changes over the period 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Empirical evidence drawn from the longitudinal survey data (the Indonesia Family Life Survey-IFLS) are utilized to better understand the association between migration and education and how this relationship varies in different contexts. Some recommendations and policy implications are addressed at the end of the study.