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Transcript of 1 Refugee and Migration Policy in the European Union: towards a new approch ? Cicero Foundation,...
1
Refugee and Migration Policy in the European Union: towards a new approch ?
Cicero Foundation, Paris 18-19 November 2004
New trends within OECD countries to encourage the international
migration of highly skilled workers: overview and challenges
Jean-Christophe Dumont OECD
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Purpose and Scope
This presentation aims at reviewing the recent changes in
the international mobility of the highly skilled focusing on
the role and limits of migration policies in OECD countries.
The first part will describe how most OECD countries have
recently adapted their immigration policies to facilitate the
recruitment of highly skilled foreign workers
The second part will present the main limits of these policies
The conclusion will address briefly the potential impacts on
developing countries
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
3
Economic context and policy responses In the late 90’s employers reported labour shortages
… in highly skilled occupations …
… as well as for semi and low skilled jobs Labour shortages had many causes including (i)
economic boom, (ii) rapid technological changes, (iii) mismatch between supply and demand of labour, (iv) lack of labour mobility, (v) structural rigidities in the labour market and (v) overestimation of the needs.
Most OECD countries responded, inter alia, by adapting their migration policy to facilitate the recruitment of foreign qualified labour …
… because short term solutions were needed and because “the more the better”
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
4
Selective employment-related immigration policies in OECD countries OECD countries faced similar needs for highly skilled workers
… but responded by different types of policies such as
Despite recent changes in the economic business cycle,
these policies have not been challenged significantly
Adapting selective migration policies (Canada, Australia) Introducing or reviewing specific migration programs (Germany, UK,
USA, Norway) Creating labour shortage occupation lists (UK, Australia, Ireland) Easing labour recruitment (France, Japan, Korea) and changes of status Creating special incentive for recruiting highly skilled workers
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
5OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
former Soviet-Union former Soviet-Union republicsrepublics
RussiaRussia
UkraineUkraine
EU CountriesEU Countries
Settelment countriesSettelment countries
« Cascade » Migration
other other NICNIC
1345
1114
4234
433
3625
2282 20075
450
1106
214 4635
3807
Cuba
United States
South Africa
United Kingdom
New ZealandAustralia
Canada
Rural
1345
1018
International mobility of doctors
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International migration of the highly skilled in figures
Immigrant and emigrant population 15+ with tertiary education in OECD countries Thousands
-1500
-1000
-500
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000 Highly skilled immigrants
Highly skilled emigrants to OECD countries
Net highly skilled migrants
8204
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
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Potentialities and limits
Past experiences in migration policies for the recruitment
of foreign labour demonstrate the positive role that can be
played by foreign workers, especially during periods of
strong economic growth …
… but also underline some of the limits to such policies,
which relate mainly to :
Identification and selection of suitable foreign workers Implementation and adaptability of employment related
migration programsEfficiency and external constraints
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
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Taking into account the potential impact on origin countries …
Better sharing the benefits of the international mobility of the highly skilled :
a shared responsibility between sending and receiving countries
Efficiency : facilitating the international mobility
Ethics: considering the potential negative impacts (code of conduct)
Equity: sharing the cost of human capital investment
Sustainability : improving the management of human resources in sending and receiving
countries
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
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… especially in small and LD countries
Country.shpNot available1 - 34 - 89 - 1920 - 83
Source: see Annex 1, Secretariat calculations based on Cohen and Soto (2001) for highly skilled stocks in countries of origin.
Map 1. Percentage of expatriates to OECD countries among all highly skilled born in the country
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA
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Conclusion Although it is hard to gauge the nature and size of labour shortages, research
stresses short term and long term needs for skilled labour
From the point of view of OECD countries, employment-related immigration policies will be effective only within limits.
As migration alone can not alleviate the impact of population ageing it won’t
resolve labour market failures. Current efforts to introduce a raft of measures
to tap existing labour reserves in OECD countries should therefore be
encouraged and pursued.
Furthermore, the potential impacts of selective migration policies on origin
countries needs to be better taken into account and the coherence between
migration and international cooperation policies to be significantly
strengthened.
OECD Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA