(Intending) Migrants and Occupational Downgrading: Investigating the Willingness to Leave the Health Sector...

The unquenched thirst for emigration in Nigeria- and the increasing cost of migrating to the West-has been established in the literature. Professionals, such as healthcare workers (HCWs), are poorly paid in Nigeria, making many seek better employment abroad. However, many professionals work in less skilled sectors or jobs below their previous position-and education and years of experience-in their home country. While studies have investigated occupational downgrading empirically from the experiences of migrants in the host country, this study focused on HCWs who are still in Nigeria but expressed emigration intentions. This enables us to determine whether migrants are victims of occupational downgrading in the host country or whether it is a deliberate choice. We investigated the willingness among HCWs in Nigeria to accept occupational downgrading post-migration. Using a cross-sectional online survey, we analysed responses from 411 respondents who indicated emigration intentions. We computed logistic regression models at a 95% level of significance. We found that 65.3% of healthcare workers reported a willingness to accept occupational downgrading. Male HCWs were twice as likely as their female counterparts to accept occupational downgrading, and pharmacists were 16 times more likely to accept it than medical doctors and dentists. Work hours and job satisfaction were also significantly associated with the acceptance of occupational downgrading. We argue that intending migrants in Nigeria are calculative in their decisions and bracing for occupational downgrading. Nevertheless, they face pressures from disparities between the global South and North in terms of wages, working conditions and quality of life that shape migration decisions and experiences.