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1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 202551Analysis of the Use of Remittances from Workers Employed Abroad in the Village of Mau-Meta and Metagou, Bazartete, Liqui%u00e7a: A Case Study of Workers from Mau-Meta and Metagou work in the United KingdomVicente de Paulo Correia*, Elivania Alves Correia and Carlos AmaralDepartment of Agro Socio-Economic, Faculty of Agriculture, UNTL*Corresponding author: Vicente de Paulo CorreiaAbstractTimor-Leste has a population of 1.3 million people and from this around 66% engaged in agriculture sector. Indeed, there are number of challenges faced by population in the country including multidimensional poverty, malnutrition, food insecurity, and unemployment. Additionally, the country's economy remains heavily dependent on the Petroleum Fund, which accounts for 81% of national expenditure. The objective of this study is to analyze and identify the use of remittances sent by workers employed in United Kingdom to their family in the village of Metagou and Mau-Meta, Liquica municipality. Data from LFS 2016 shows that with the annual growth rate of the population in Timor-Leste of 2.4% and the working age (15 + years) of about 700,000 people and the youth (15-24) labor force participating rate of 25.8%, these pose huge challenges in the employment sector in particular for youth in Timor-Leste. This situation clearly contributed to rising of unemployment among young people. According to data from SEFOPE, in 2021 the number of unemployed individuals reached 12,700 people with a minimum wage of only 115 US dollars per month. In addition, the youth in the village of Metagou and Mau-Meta is also facing the reality of lack of employments in their villages. As a result, it drives many of the them to migrate to the United Kingdom and other countries in search for employment with the ultimate goal to improve their family's well-being. In this context, the present study aims to understand how the recipient families utilize the remittances they receive. The workers who were employed in United Kingdom represent an important element in this study. In order to better understand their identities, income, professions, and the remittances they send to their families, it is important to explore how these funds are used for investments in areas they prioritize. Respondents began working in England in 2013, but many of them started working in 2022. Their salaries fortnight ranges from a minimum of $1,000 to a maximum of $2,200, depending on the type of works. The money earned that sent back to Timor-Leste, primarily used according to the needs of investment. The study reveal that the large portion of these remittances are investing in building houses, purchasing land, education purposes, and agriculture among other uses. The study also shows that although most families rely on agriculture for their livelihood however, the main priority of the investment is not in this sector. Indeed, building houses, purchasing land and education are the three most important investments using remittances sent by workers employed in the United Kingdom. This will be contributed negatively to the development of agricultural sector in general and further resulted in more unemployment in Metagou and Mau-Meta and Timor-Leste as a whole. Keywords: Remittances, Employment, Poverty, Income, Agriculture sector.