Migration in the European Union: Trends, Challenges

and Policy Options

Anna Platonova Regional Office for EEA and Switzerland, EU and NATO

Ranstad Labour Market Seminar, November 2013

Overview of the presentation

• Changing global landscape of labour mobility

• Labour migration policy(-ies) in the European Union

• Critical issues

• Way forward

Changing global landscape

• Increasing geographic diversification of the global economy

• Evolution of the demographic trends

• Global skill development

• Skill dimension of migration

• Policy implications

Labour migration policy(-ies) in the EU

• Uneven pathway towards a common EU (labour) immigration policy

• Areas of harmonization, including Blue Card, students & researchers, seasonal workers, intra-corporate transferees

• Free labour mobility within the EU • 28 national labour markets, taxation and

social security systems • Recent non-legislative European

Commission competences on integration

Critical issues I

• Availability of legal channels• Why sensible admission provisions

may not work? – Attractiveness vs. needs– Vulnerability and abuse in international

recruitment– Assessment and recognition of

qualifications and competences– Diversity challenges in hiring and

employment– Beyond the workplace

Critical issues II

• Internationalization of higher education + links between education and the labour market

• Business climate and conditions for innovation

• Socio-economic marginalization of native and resident immigrant population during the recession

• Wider impact of societal diversity

Way forward

• Transnational solutions to transnational challenges

• Helping pre-migration matching between employers and workers

• Industry-wide & multi-stakeholder standards on labour rights and ethical recruitment (example, IOM’s International Recruitment Integrity System – IRIS)

• Business case for diversity?

• From labour market inclusion to wider social cohesion

• Improving the link between immigration policy and labour market needs: role of various actors

Dank u wel!Merci!

Thank you!aplatonova@iom.int