Contracting Margins? Liquid International Migration in the Pacific

In the smaller Pacific islands especially, migration has a long history. In this century international migration has become more significant in Melanesia, more diverse in terms of destinations and occupation, more valuable to national economies through remittances and more likely to be permanent. Governments of the smaller Pacific island states have become increasingly involved in negotiating migration strategies, as remittances have become more significant for national and household economies. Responding to scarce international opportunities has been particularly difficult in smaller, more remote states. In the coral island states outer islands are losing population. An economic rationale dominates migration but environmental changes are putting further pressure on the coral island states especially, and the margins of settlement in the Pacific are gradually contracting. Reversing these trends is unlikely to be imminent.