Brussels, 19/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - The member states must change their management policy of migration, both intra-European and from third countries, to offset the effects of the ageing population and respond to unmet needs in terms of qualified and skilled labour, concluded a joint report by the European Commission and the OECD, which was published on Thursday 18 September, after three years of research.
Mobility within the EU and immigration from third countries do not allow a response to all issues (demographic, economic) facing the member states over the next years, but they constitute an under-used resource which could help to offset undesirable effects. The report, entitled “Matching Economic Migration with Labour Market Needs”, assessed that better management of intra-EU management would help to absorb up to a quarter of asymmetric shocks to the employment market. Consequently, efforts to reduce obstacles to this migration must be stepped up, notably by promoting the learning of European languages.
Although European migrants are often better qualified than less mobile individuals, the same cannot necessarily be said of immigrants from third countries. These are over-represented at both ends of the qualification scale, but with a lower average number of years of study than the citizens of the host member state. However, their skills are certainly under-used, which has a direct impact on the next generations, the report noted. It recommends: - improving the availability of information and the recognition of foreign qualifications; - integrating new migrants in a specific and flexible manner into European employment market programmes; - putting immigrants more directly into contact with employers; - offering language training adapted to migrants' skills in the destination country; - reviewing recruitment tools based on the ex ante identification of labour shortages, which are proving less relevant nowadays.
In response to the publication of the report, Commissioner Laszlo Andor (Employment and Social Services) said that it is clear that “ensuring fair labour mobility within the EU, improving training to close skills gaps, ensuring decent working conditions to workers and better integration of non-EU workers can be part of the solution to population ageing and future skill shortages in the European labour market”. Although it is true that these conclusions “may surprise people” in the context of high unemployment rates within the EU, “successful integration of migrants and their children, and more efficient labour migration management systems (…) are necessary to strengthen social cohesion as much as they are to increase Europe's competitiveness”, said the Director for Employment, Work and Social Affairs of the OECD, Stefano Scarpetta. (JK)