A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE IN MIGRANT VERSUS NON-MIGRANT HOUSEHOLDS IN COASTAL NAM DINH PROVINCE

Abstract

Labor migration is a common socioeconomic phenomenon and plays a crucial role in development policy-making. Given millions of migrant laborers in Vietnam, this phenomenon has significantly affected the income and expenditure of households in the sending area. This study compares the income and expenditure of households with and without migrant labor in three selected communes in the coastal area of Nam Dinh province: Giao Xuan, Hai Chinh, and Nghia Hai. Based on survey data of 179 households (121 households with migrant laborers and 58 households without), the study applied descriptive statistical analysis and the Mann-Whitney U test to analyze differences where data were not normally distributed. The results show that households without migrant laborers have higher income and expenditure levels, but the difference is not statistically significant. In addition, income and expenditure vary widely within both groups, particularly among non-migrant households. These findings can provide useful information for the policy-making process and follow-up studies.