Migration and Skills : The Experience of Migrant Workers from Albania, Egypt, Moldova, and Tunisia
The subject of migration, and how best to manage it, has been moving up the policy agenda of the European Union for some time now. Faced with an aging population, possible skills shortages at all skills levels, and the need to compete for highly sk...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20100325011000 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2421 |
| Summary: | The subject of migration, and how best
to manage it, has been moving up the policy agenda of the
European Union for some time now. Faced with an aging
population, possible skills shortages at all skills levels,
and the need to compete for highly skilled migrants with
countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States,
the European Union (EU) is moving from seeing migration as a
problem or a threat to viewing it as an opportunity. As an
EU agency promoting skills and human capital development in
transition and developing countries, the European Training
Foundation (ETF) wished to explore the impact of migration
on skills development, with a special emphasis on Diasporas
and returning migrants. For the World Bank, the issue of
migration forms an integral part of its approach to social
protection, since it believes that labor-market policy must
take into account the national as well the international
dimensions of skilled labor mobility. Both institutions were
keen to look at what changes need to be made to migration
policy in order to achieve a triple-win situation, one that
can benefit both sending and receiving countries as well as
the migrants themselves. This report aims to unravel the
complex relationship between migration and skills
development. It paints a precise picture of potential and
returning migrants from four very different countries,
Albania, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Moldova, and Tunisia,
that is a conscious choice of two 'traditional'
(Egypt, Tunisia) and two 'new' (Albania, Moldova)
sending countries, and describes the skills they possess and
the impact that the experience of migration has on their
skills development. It is harder to draw accurate
conclusions on the link between job aspirations and current
employment status, since many of the potential migrants were
not actively employed at the time of the interview. However,
the data suggest people did expect to change jobs as a
result of migration, and the sectors they expected to work
in varied according to their nationality. Focusing solely on
those planning to move to the EU, many Albanians expected to
work in domestic service, hospitality, and construction;
Egyptians expected to work in hospitality and construction;
Moldovans expected to work in domestic service and
construction; and Tunisians expected to work in hospitality
and manufacturing. Few migrants working in agriculture or
petty trade aimed to work in these same sectors while abroad. |
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