For citation:
Rakhmonov, A. Kh. (2026). Reorientation of Tajik Labour Migrants from Russian Regions to German Regions: Factors, Channels, and Prospects. AlterEconomics, 23(2), 448–476. https://doi.org/10.31063/AlterEconomics/2026.23-2.11
Abstract:
This article examines the gradual reorientation of Tajik labour migrants away from Russia toward Germany as an emerging destination for labour, educational, and professional mobility. The study identifies the factors, channels, and development prospects of the Tajikistan–Germany migration corridor in the context of Tajikistan’s shifting external migration patterns and Russia’s changing role in household migration strategies. The analysis draws on academic literature, international statistical data from the OECD and the World Bank, official sources, and the author’s own sociological survey of Tajik students, graduates, and young migrants residing in Germany. The findings show that Germany is not replacing Russia as the primary destination for Tajik labour migration, but is emerging as an additional channel oriented toward more institutionalized and legally regulated forms of mobility. Key drivers include educational programmes, vocational training, work visas, voluntary social year schemes, and expanding legal employment opportunities, with particular importance attached to language training, legal protection, family reunification, and prospects for professional advancement. Meanwhile, Russia’s declining attractiveness reflects economic instability, currency volatility, stricter migration regulation, social risks, and geopolitical uncertainty. Crucially, the choice of Germany is driven not only by wage expectations but by aspirations for stability, legal predictability, and human capital accumulation.
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