The following contribution outlines Yugoslavia’s attitude towards economic migrants during socialism and its changes over the years. As of the mid-1950s, economic migrations started increasing persistently, only to culminate at the beginning of the 1970s. The Federal Republic of Germany was the most popular destination for these emigrants. On the one hand, economic migrations were a sign that the socialist Yugoslavia was opening its borders, while on the other hand, they pointed at the structural shortcomings of its economy. Yugoslavia’s attitude towards economic migrants was different from the other categories of emigrants. Even though these people were not seen as hostile to the socialist regime, the state monitored them carefully, as it was concerned that they might come under the influence of the political emigration or change their political views abroad. During the 1960s, as the numbers of emigrants kept increasing, the initially unfavourable opinion about economic migrations gradually changed. The state started underlining the welfare of its workers abroad while it simultaneously wished to supervise the migration flows. In this regard, however, it soon encountered organisational difficulties. Yugoslavia always thought of the economic migrations as merely temporary, although many emigrants would never return.