Session 2 “Migration and Labour Markets” Discussant: Deputy Director General, Poul Mose Hansen

1. CES Seminar on Measuring Population Movement and Integration in a Globalized World- Paris, 12 June 2008 - Session 2 “Migration and Labour Markets” Discussant: Deputy Director General, Poul Mose Hansen the Danish Immigration Service

2. Introduction • Papers by: • Globalization and influence on active population in a country in transition, by Blagica Novkovska, State Statistical Office of the Republic of Macedonia • The labour market situation of non-nationals and foreign born in selected EU Member States, by Justus Henke, Statistics Austria • Immigrant Economic and Social Integration in Canada: Research, measurement and data development at Statistics Canada, by Garnett Picot, Statistics Canada

3. Structure • Overall comments • Overview of the topic and general perspectives on the basis of the papers • Addressing issues and questions for the authors and for the participants

4. Theme 1 – Urgent need for better data and knowledge of migration profiles • Rapid change in migration direction (from long term to short term, new categories of migration and new leading sending countries) • Challenge is not just to count numbers – we need to go beyond the numbers (level of participation in the labour force, study background, how long do they stay, how integrated are they, how many have “work rights” (students, etc.)) • Too much focus on the national perspective and (demographic) data and less on the international level and overall data

5. Example: The New Immigration Balance in Denmark * Granted visa are not included. The positive decisions refers only to first time applications. The figures includes all instances. ** Of which 6.031 residence permits granted for educational purposes in the period January-December 2007 – compared to 5.043 in 2006.

6. The New Immigration Balance in Denmark(All residence permits granted in Denmark in 2001 and 2007) * 2007-figures are final.

7. Example From the paper by Blagica Novkovska: Statement: “Migration trends have profound consequences for the demographic and socio-economic conditions. Analysis and assessment of migration trends of Macedonia are very difficult because of limited sources of data.”

8. Theme 2 – Managed migration and labour migration drivers • Assessing pro (attractive) and con (barriers) incentives to migrate to specific countries and sectors • Meeting the demand for information about short term migration, circular migration and long term migration • More knowledge on the different policy initiatives to open for the access to the labour market via different schemes – could focus also be on the situation in the sending countries (background, knowledge on the company structures, expectations for future migration)?

9. Example From the paper by Justus Henke: Statements: “Trends for recent years: improved integration into labour markets?” “Overall, we observe a trend to improving labour market success of persons with immigrant background. Yet, unemployment in France remains strikingly high; together with Austria and Denmark it comprises the group of countries with more than double the rate of native born citizens. For Austria this ratio has become even worse after 2004.”

10. Example From the paper by Garnett Picot: Statements: “The economic and social integration of immigrants and their children is a major policy concern in Canada. About one in five persons living in Canada is foreign born, a share that is second only to Australia…. “ “Research in the late 1980´s and early 1990´s indicated that earnings gap at entry between immigrants and native-born counterparts was increasing, and that the traditional “catch-up” was anything but certain. This uncertainty regarding economic outcomes, and the reasons for these changes, combined with increasing concern in many OECD countries with social integration of immigrants, raised the interest in economic and social integration issues in Canada”.

11. Example From newly conducted Danish fact finding mission to India (assessment by the Danish Immigration Service on how to attract highly skilled IT-people from Bangalore, India): IT- Migration Profile: Men in the late twenties, singles, short term stay (typically only a few months, often only seconded from company at “home”) Some of the incentives for these men: Good salary, own flat, savings for marriage, tourism in Europe The market in India: 375 universities, 17.000 colleges, 9,3 million students at higher courses, 550.000 engineers

12. Theme 3 – Need for co-operation between governmental authorities • Usual set-up at the national level: Statistical Office responsible for migration data as well as labour force (survey) data and Ministry of Interior (most often) responsible for administrative records on residence permits and policy formulation, including regulation the entry to the country • Meet the challenge of establishing synergies between the Statistical Office (initiating research and data collection to support the policy formulation and evaluation) and the Ministry of Interior (using data available and initiating analysis of data from the Statistical Office). Moreover, could the Statistical Office assist the Ministry of Interior in improving their own data? • Role of international fora?

13. Example From the paper by Garnett Picot: Conclusion “…Significant and meaningful co-operation with the policy departements is another important agency priority. In this particular case, regular formal meetings are held with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to discuss both research projects and data requirements in the immigration area. Research priorities are influenced by the needs of the appropriate policy agencies, although they are not the sole influence. Virtually all the significant data developments described earlier was a joint effort by Statistics Canada and the relevant policy agency”.

14. Example – the government perspective in Denmark • Challenges: • - Strategies and initiatives to be seen together ("bits of the puzzles") • - Priorities and goals across agencies • Coordination and cooperation at different levels to be introduced • Share information • Effect and experiences: • Better understanding of each others role • Dependency on each other • - Setting priorities • Holistic migration management • Initiatives in Denmark on statistics: • Statistics on administrative records coordinated altogether by the Danish Immigration Service • Regular contact between the Danish Immigration Service and Statistics Denmark

15. Theme 4 – Some methodological issues • Assessing the usage of survey methods – how well are they to get information about recent migrants? How can e.g. the labour force survey further developed to improve coverage of migrants? • How to further develop residence permit statistics? E.g. the EU Framework Regulation on migration and asylum statistics is likely to provide a wider range of data • Sound research to qualify and ensure quality of data and information

16. A general perspective Policy will be made with or without data Unique opportunity to create an effective framework of migration statistics: - Never before such gap between availability and needs (policy ahead of statistics) - Never before such interest in documenting the link between migration and the labour market (shortage of labour and the ageing of populations) - Never before that many initiatives at the international level – among others OECD and EU to back-up the collection of migration statistics (from national to international approach)

17. General questions • Is there a conflict between statisticians (quantitative and analysis of data) and the policy-level (timely and available data)? And, do we always have time to wait for cohort analyses? • How well is the labour force survey to provide indication of improved integration of persons with immigrant background in the labour market given that migrants are not necessary well-covered? • Is highly skilled migration increasingly due to globalisation? • How can we assess brain drain (sending country) and brain gain (receiving country)?

18. Some questions to the authors and the participants To Blagica Novkovska: How can the Ministry of Interiors establish strategies to monitor labour force immigration and integration (e.g. a set of key indicators) and how can the Statistical Offices assist in improving the data sources and documenting the strategies? If Statistical Offices do not respond to the increased need for migration statistics - how big is the risk that influence will be lost among policy-makers?

19. Some questions to the authors and the participants To Justus Henke: How can we develop the labour force survey to provide for better socio-economic information? How can we facilitate an improved extraction of data from administrative records and surveys?

20. Some questions to the authors and the participants To Garnett Picot: How do foster an innovative research function – not only with focus on targeted analyses but also anticipating the users need in the future? What are some best practices for Statistical Offices in assisting the Ministry of Interiors in designing the appropriate schemes for labour?