East, west, home is best? Migration in Europe
Resource pack
‘Travel east or travel west, a man’s own house is still the best’ says a Dutch proverb. This scepticism is, however,
not reflected in the attitude of today’s Europeans towards exploring other regions and foreign countries. When asked
what the EU represents to them, 53% of citizens put
‘freedom to travel and work in the EU’ first.
Nevertheless, of those workers who had moved, 17% reported a deterioration of contacts with family and friends (Eurobarometer 2005).
Mobility - European workers: stayers or movers
In theory, Europeans are all for it: 49% think that mobility is a good thing for an individual while 50% think there are advantages for the economy. However, only 4% of workers have actually seized the opportunity and moved to another country in the EU after they left their parental home and even fewer (3%) have moved to a non-EU country. Moving to another region in one’s own country is a somewhat more popular option: 18% of workers questioned in 2005 had taken that step.
Work - Employment conditions of migrants
Despite the contribution that they make to their host countries, migrants often face serious labour market disadvantages. Getting a job in the first place, and then being paid the same rate as nationals are common difficulties:
- migrants often face difficulties in getting their qualifications recognised, resulting in highly educated workers being overqualified for the jobs they do,
- in France, first-generation migrants earn 15% less than their French counterparts; second-generation migrants, however, earn only 9% less.
Overall, migrants face a greater likelihood of unemployment than nationals, certain groups being especially disadvantaged – non-EU nationals, younger people, and women.
Integration - Policy initiatives at local level
Cities and local authorities have a huge role to play in the implementation of integration policies and in the development of innovative policies on housing, education and cultural diversity. The CLIP network was set up in 2006 to help local authorities learn from one another’s experiences in order to deliver more effective integration policies. Research showed that housing for migrants was a vital element in the process of integration, both for first generation migrants and future generations. Cities are often the largest employers in the local area and can be a key source of employment for migrants; similarly, being providers of education and health care services, cities have also better control on these levers of integration.
Migration - Who moves where? Myths and realities
When ten countries joined the EU in 2004, only three Member States – Ireland, the UK and Sweden – opened up their labour markets completely, while other Member States applied restrictions. According to data from the European Labour Force Survey, 2.75 million people originating from the 12 new Member States formed part of the working age population of the EU15 in 2007 (equivalent to 1.1%). Countries with high migration inflows such as Ireland and Spain have benefited economically. Countries with restrictive regimes such as Germany and Austria may have received significant numbers of undocumented migrants performing undeclared work.