US more popular destination than EU for migrants
The number of migrants moving permanently to the US has exceeded the number of those moving to Europe for the first time in over a decade.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published its annual International Migration Outlook today, which showed that the US received 1.03m permanent migrants in 2012 while Europe received just 948,200.
This is the first time since at least 2000 that the European Union’s (EU) 28 member states have attracted fewer permanent migrants than the US, and researchers estimate that the trend will have continued into 2013.
The OECD has suggested that the fall in migrants arriving in the EU may have been caused by the region's relatively poor economic climate throughout the eurozone crisis.
However, some suggest that the bloc’s political climate may have had more of an impact. Although European businesses are adopting pro-migration policies, the rise of right-wing parties in major countries such as France and the UK is contributing to a strong anti-immigration tone.
The OECD’s head of international migration Jean-Christophe Dumont commented that: "It is not only whether you open or close the door, it is also whether the house is warm and welcoming."
He advised that: "To remain attractive, particularly for skilled people, Europe has to do something."
Our author Artjoms Ivlevs has looked at factors which drive the emigration decision. He finds that migrants are attracted to countries where they may have to rely less on public health services, have better employment prospects, and integrate quicker into society.
Meanwhile, Arnaud Chevalier suggests that countries can attract skilled migrants by developing strategies to retain their foreign student population. He posits that policies which harmonize qualifications and improve the job market for skilled graduates could boost student migration.
Read more here.
Related articles:
Happiness and the emigration decision, by Artjoms Ivlevs
How to attract foreign students, by Arnaud Chevalier