Matching Economic Migration With Labour Market Needs

This publication gathers the papers presented at the “OECD-EU dialogue on mobility and international migration: matching economic migration with labour market needs” (Brussels, 24-25 February 2014), a conference jointly organised by the European Commission and the OECD.

This edited collection includes (but is not limited to) contributions in the form of chapters from the participants of the Workshop on the Macroeconomics of Migration at the University of Sheffield in June 2018. Migration is one of the most debated issues currently and is a pervasive feature of our economies. While extensive academic work has looked at the microeconomic aspects of migration, an open question is to better understand the links between migration and macroeconomic aggregates, such as per capita GDP. This book explores this overarching question, which has hit the key political and social debates all over Europe. Countries that are traditionally viewed as hosting economies for immigrants, such as for instance the UK and Germany, are concerned by immigration, while sending countries, such as Southern and Eastern European countries, are concerned by emigration. The contributions in this edited collection analyse empirically and theoretically the challenges international economic migration generates both in sending and receiving countries, thus offering a comprehensive approach to the question asked above. The book looks at several important issues in the current debates related to the labour market effects of migration for natives, the bi-directional relation between taxation and migration, migration and the informal economy, migration and business cycle dynamics, and brain waste. This edited collection will be of interest to academics, practitioners and policy makers who wish to take a closer look at the macroeconomic effects of migration and learn more about the current challenges posed by immigration in some countries and emigration in others.

Are migrant workers needed to 'do the jobs that locals will not do' or are they simply a more exploitable labour force? Do they have a better 'work ethic' or are they less able to complain? Is migrant labour the solution to 'skills shortages' or actually part of the problem? This book provides a comprehensive framework for analysing the demand for migrant workers in high-income countries. It demonstrates how a wide range of government policies, often unrelated to migration, contribute to creating a growing demand for migrant labour. This demand can persist even during economic downturns. The book includes quantitative and qualitative analyses of the changing role of migrants in the UK economy. The empirical chapters include in-depth examinations of the nature of staff shortages and the use of migrant workers in six sectors: health; social care; hospitality; food production; construction; and financial services. The book' s conceptual framework and empirical findings are of importance to academic and policy debates about labour immigration in all high-income countries. The final chapter presents a comparative analysis of research and policy approaches to assessing labour shortages in the UK and the US. It examines the potential lessons of the UK's Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) for current debates about labour shortages and immigration reform in the US. The book will be of significant interest to policy-makers, stakeholders, academics and students.

This publication presents recent evidence and analytical work on the impact and future perpectives of demographic trends in the workforce, taking also into account education, skills and geographical mobility.

Upheavals in vast areas of the world have led to a growing number of international refugees, a significant proportion of which have made their way to the West. At the same time, economic and social pressures, together with skills and labour shortages, have encouraged the migration for work of millions of workers worldwide. Although there has been a constant media focus on these two groups, little is known about their labour market experiences. This collection examines the problems faced by refugees and recent migrants in accessing employment as well as the policy frameworks that address the labour market rights of refugees and economic migrants.

How can the European Union become more attractive for talented professionals looking for job opportunities worldwide?