Guidelines to measure emigration through immigration data

1. Guidelines to measure emigration through immigration data Margaret Michalowski Joint UNECE/Eurostat Work Session on Migration Statistics organized in collaboration with UNFPA Nov. 20-22, 2006, Edinburgh, Scotland

2. Outline • Why guidelines • Typology and uses of emigration data • Data gaps • Improving emigration data availability within the existing national data systems • Longer-term proposals

3. Why guidelines • Increasingly, countries are simultaneously origin, transit and destination for migrants • Asymmetry between availability of data on immigration and emigration • Arrivals’ monitoring receives more attention • Difficulties with recording departures

4. Guidelines objective To propose activities, which would lead to increased availability of emigration data The proposal is based on the empirical analysis of immigration and emigration data from 19 ECE countries

5. Typology of emigration flows(simplified) • Native-born vs. foreign-born • Nationals vs. non-nationals (including naturalized foreigners) • Long-term departures vs. short-term departures • Permanent residents vs. temporary residents • Economic vs. family reunification vs. humanitarian (departures of immigrants by their admission category) • Legal vs. illegal

6. The most important uses of emigration data • Population estimates/national demographic accounts • Development and evaluation of immigrant policy • Integration of immigrants into the receiving society • Information on expatriates (nationals residing abroad) • Assessment of economic losses due to emigration • Temporary emigration

7. “Ideal” emigration statistics • Comprehensive all groups of immigrants (natives and foreigners) all types of migrations (long-term/short-term, legal/illegal) • Timely available on annual basis • Provide information on emigrant’s characteristics

8. Improving availability of emigration data within existing national data systems • Tabulate existing immigration statistics using standardized tables • Make standardized tables easily accessible internationally

9. Tabulation of immigration statistics • To be based on a data source, which provides the best coverage for all groups of arrivals into the country alternatively • To be based on a several complimentary data sources so together they provide the best possible coverage for all arrivals

10. Preparation of the standardized tables Step 1 • Annually, tabulate data on all arrivals using a concept of residence 1 year before If not available Step 2 • Annually, tabulate data on all arrivals based on country of previous residence If not available , basedon country of citizenship If not available, based on country of birth

11. Preparation of the standardized tables (cont.) Step 3 • Tabulate stock data for the country’ population by: country of birth and citizenship and country of birth and country of birth of parents Step 4 • For each table, provide a detailed description of data source used

12. Example of the template(table produced by Canada for France) Table 1. Population of Canada by sex, place of birth and place of residence 1 year before data collection

13. Dissemination of standardized tables • Expand existing data collections by international organizations for the proposed templates examples: EU MS and UNECE Joint questionnaire, ILO • Create a new database, which will include national standardized tables produced on annual basis examples of good practise: OECD database on high-skilled, the THESIM project

14. Improving availability of emigration data – a longer-term perspective • Continuous efforts toward a harmonized system of international statistics Wide implementation of the 2010 census Inter-institutional cooperation • Extensive use of national household surveys as a vehicle for a collection of data on migrants and their characteristics Development of a “standard migration module” • World Migration Survey?