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1. Competing for Talent: What Role Can Employment- and Skills-Based Mobility Projects Play?

Author:
Kate Hooper and Ravenna Sohst
Publication Date:
04-2024
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
Many countries in Europe and beyond are contending with acute labor shortages and looking to immigration as one policy option to sustain and support economic growth, alongside efforts to retrain local workers and improve productivity. At the same time, lower- and middle-income countries with fast-growing populations are exploring ways to better link their nationals with economic opportunities at home and abroad. Legal migration pathways that connect unemployed workers in such countries with hard-to-fill jobs abroad are thus gaining interest in both origin and destination countries. To date, however, employment- and skills-based mobility projects have encountered challenges in fully realizing their anticipated benefits. These include difficulties building up project infrastructure and securing private-sector engagement. As a result, many have facilitated the movement of small numbers of people. This policy brief explores the case for employment- and skills-based mobility projects, looking at how different types of cooperation can support legal migration pathways, as well as common challenges these projects face. The brief also discusses strategies for achieving economies of scale and these projects' unique value—including the chance they offer to test new migration corridors or new recruitment models, while broadening cooperation opportunities with partner countries.
Topic:
Labor Issues, Employment, Mobility, Skills, and Competition
Political Geography:
Europe

2. How Can Europe Deliver on the Potential of Talent Partnerships?

Author:
Kate Hooper
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Abstract:
Europe faces a looming shortage in skilled workers, one linked to both growing demand in knowledge- and service-intensive sectors and to its aging population and shrinking workforce. For education and training systems, the question is how to train people for the jobs of tomorrow. For migration policymakers, the question is how to attract and retain foreign workers with in-demand skills and experience to help address the shortfall. These priorities are reflected in the European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum and in the Talent Partnerships the pact proposes. These partnerships will combine new mobility schemes for workers or students from certain non-EU countries with related investments in capacity-building in partner countries, with the aim of attracting talent to Europe and fostering deeper cooperation with third countries on migration. As the European Commission and its partners prepare to launch the first Talent Partnerships in 2022, this MPI Europe policy brief explores how and under what conditions the partnerships could help meet Europe’s labor market needs and provide more tangible benefits for partner countries and migrants themselves. It draws on the experiences of the European Union’s legal migration pilot projects and other past mobility schemes, as well as expert insights, to offer lessons learned on issues including: selecting which countries to partner with, building flexibility into mobility schemes, and thinking critically about how these schemes can dovetail with other policy interventions.
Topic:
Development, Education, International Cooperation, Brain Drain, Employment, Workforce, Skills, and Immigration Policy
Political Geography:
Europe