Economic Crisis Has Significant Impact on Migrants and Migration, Says New IOM Report
While the full effects of the economic crisis on migration may only
become visible in the years to come, a new IOM report states that
the crisis has had a significant impact on migrants and migration
in Europe.
The report, "Migration and the Economic Crisis in the European
Union: Implications for Policy" which surveys 27 EU Member States,
Croatia, Norway, Turkey, and seven commissioned country case
studies (Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain,
and the United Kingdom), found that overall immigration levels
within the EU had slowed since the onset of the crisis.
However, migration rates still remained positive in 2009 for
many of the major migrant-recruiting countries in the EU such as
Spain, Italy, and the UK. The study shows that there is still
demand, especially for skilled migrant labour in certain sectors
such as health and education in many EU countries.
Publication
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target="" title="">Migration and the Economic Crisis in the
European Union: Implications for Policy
The report also highlighted the increase in emigration from some
EU countries but stressed that the impact of the crisis on
migration was not uniform across all EU countries. This trend is
most notable in countries that experienced large inflows of labour
migrants in the pre-crisis period. Ireland, Spain and the UK all
registered decreased net migration.
In general, the crisis affected the employment of migrant
workers from non-EU countries more than that of EU nationals,
according to the study. While unemployment rates for migrants from
EU countries increased by 2.8 percentage points between 2008 and
2009, those for non-EU migrants rose by 5 per cent during the same
period. This may be explained by the high prevalence of non-EU
migrants in badly hit sectors such as construction, retail and
hospitality.
Although migrants are less likely to claim social benefits, the
report found that in some EU countries, increased numbers of
migrants had to seek welfare support due to the high unemployment
rates among them.
The report also notes that the irregular migrant population is
likely to have increased as a result of the crisis, arguing that
this is more a result of migrants overstaying their visa or work
permits and moving into grey areas of the economy and less to do
with an increase in irregular migration flows.
The gender balance of migrants was also affected by the economic
crisis. Women migrants were less affected by unemployment as they
dominate sectors such as education, social and health care which
were less vulnerable to the economic recession. In some countries
such as Spain, Italy and Ireland, the percentage of women migrants
in the workforce increased.
Other impacts of crisis include the decline of remittance
outflows in some EU countries and the hardening of public opinions
towards migrants in countries such as Ireland, Spain and the
UK.
The IOM report, funded by the EU, recommends that national and
EU policies should factor in worker mobility in recovery plans if
the region is to be economically competitive and that the region
should also take into account both short and long-term demographic
trends in economic planning. Europe is already experiencing labour
shortages in many sectors due to an ageing population and low birth
rates.
Other recommendations include efforts to provide greater
protection and support for migrants in a bid to combat
discrimination, xenophobia and to limit their vulnerability to the
worst effects of the crisis.
An electronic version of the study can be downloaded from the
IOM Bookstore at the following address:
"http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=611"
target="" title=
"">http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41_7&products_id=611.
For more information, please contact:
Frank Laczko
IOM Geneva
Tel: + 41 22 917 9416
E-mail:
"mailto:flaczko@iom.int">flaczko@iom.int
or
Christine Agharzarm
Tel: + 41 22 917 9363
E-mail:
"mailto:cagharzarm@iom.int">cagharzarm@iom.int