Migration Policies and Labour Market Outcomes: Insights from Developed Countries

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 25 Sayı: 1, 713 - 725, 25.03.2025

Meltem Ince Yenilmez , Burak Darıcı

https://doi.org/10.11616/asbi.1586034

Öz

Work highlights the analytical developments in migration economics while critically examining the complex relationship between migration and labour market results in industrialised nations. Our understanding of migratory dynamics has been improved by various techniques, such as structural models, instrumental variables, and natural experiments; nevertheless, the ensuing methodological heterogeneity makes it more difficult to compare results across investigations. One important aspect determining how migration affects the labour market is the skill makeup of immigrants, which is controlled by selective immigration policy. In response to workforce shortages and to promote economic growth, nations including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are progressively controlling the number of skilled immigrants entering their countries. The degree of substitutability between native and immigrant workers is a crucial factor in influencing employment patterns and wage structures, as this study emphasises. It shows that although immigrants might supplement the abilities of native workers, especially in high-demand industries, they can also increase competition for low-skilled employment, which could result in wage suppression. A key component of migrant contributions is still economic integration, where issues like language ability and acceptance of foreign credentials influence the path of their careers. This study also covers the positive benefits of immigration on native workers' task specialisation, acceptance of new technologies, and human capital growth. The paper finds that regulated migration can increase economic dynamism and productivity despite obstacles including social conflicts and political resistance. Developed nations may promote a labour market that benefits both native workers and immigrants by putting in place efficient policies that handle the opportunities and problems presented by migration. This will eventually result in an economy that is more robust and innovative.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Migration Economics, Labour Market Outcomes, Skilled Immigration Policy, Economic Integration

Göç Politikaları ve İşgücü Piyasası Sonuçları: Gelişmiş Ülkelerden Örnekler

Öz

Çalışma, göç ekonomisindeki analitik gelişmeleri vurgularken, sanayileşmiş ülkelerdeki göç ve işgücü piyasası sonuçları arasındaki karmaşık ilişkiyi eleştirel bir şekilde incelemektedir. Göç dinamiklerine ilişkin anlayışımız yapısal modeller, araçsal değişkenler ve doğal deneyler gibi çeşitli tekniklerle geliştirilmiştir; bununla birlikte, ortaya çıkan metodolojik heterojenlik, araştırmalardan elde edilen sonuçların karşılaştırılmasını zorlaştırmaktadır. Göçün işgücü piyasasını nasıl etkilediğini belirleyen önemli bir husus, seçici göç politikası tarafından kontrol edilen göçmenlerin beceri yapısıdır. Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Kanada ve Birleşik Krallık gibi ülkeler, işgücü eksikliklerine yanıt olarak ve ekonomik büyümeyi teşvik etmek amacıyla, ülkelerine giren vasıflı göçmenlerin sayısını aşamalı olarak kontrol etmektedir. Bu çalışmanın da vurguladığı gibi, yerli ve göçmen işçiler arasındaki ikame edilebilirlik derecesi, istihdam modellerini ve ücret yapılarını etkileyen önemli bir faktördür. Göçmenlerin, özellikle yüksek talep gören sektörlerde yerli işçilerin becerilerini tamamlayabilmelerine rağmen, düşük vasıflı istihdam için rekabeti artırabileceklerini ve bunun da ücretlerin baskılanmasına yol açabileceğini göstermektedir. Göçmenlerin katkılarının önemli bir bileşeni, dil becerisi ve yabancı kimliklerin kabulü gibi konuların kariyerlerinin gidişatını etkilediği ekonomik entegrasyondur. Bu çalışma aynı zamanda göçün yerli işçilerin görev uzmanlaşması, yeni teknolojilerin kabulü ve beşeri sermaye büyümesi üzerindeki olumlu faydalarını da kapsamaktadır. Çalışma, sosyal çatışmalar ve siyasi direnç gibi engellere rağmen düzenlenmiş göçün ekonomik dinamizmi ve üretkenliği artırabileceğini ortaya koymaktadır. Gelişmiş ülkeler, göçün sunduğu fırsat ve sorunları ele alan etkin politikalar uygulayarak hem yerli işçilere hem de göçmenlere fayda sağlayan bir işgücü piyasasını teşvik edebilirler. Bu da daha sağlam ve yenilikçi bir ekonomiyle sonuçlanacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Göç Ekonomisi, İşgücü Piyasası Sonuçları, Nitelikli Göç Politikası, Ekonomik Entegrasyon

Kaynakça

• Algan, A., W. N., Fransen, S., Safra de Campos, R. and Clark, W. C. (2024). Migration and sustainable development. Proc, Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 121, e2206193121.
• Alesina, A., Favero, C. and Giavazzi, F. (2019). Effects of Austerity: Expenditure- and Tax-Based Approaches, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33 (2), p.141–62.
• Blau, F.D. and Hunt, J. (2019). The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration: Highlights from the National Academies Report, Business Economics, 54, p.173-176.
• Borjas, G. (2003). The Labour Demand Curve is Downward Sloping: Reexamining the Impact of Immigration on the Labour Market, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), p. 1335–1374
• Card, D. (2009). Immigration and Inequality, American Economic Review, 99(2), p.1–21.
• Cassidy, H. and Dacass, T. (2021). Occupational Licensing and Immigrants, The Journal of Law and Economics, 64(1), p.1–28.
• Chance, E. (2023). Factors Relating to Immigrants’ Contributions to Economic Growth in a Country: A Literatüre Review, Business, 15, p.162-181.
• Cörvers, F., Reinold, J., Chakkar, S., Bolzonella, F., and Ronda, V. (2021). Literature review labour migration, ROA. ROA Technical Reports No. 005ROA External Reports Vol. WODC rapport No. 3248
• De Coninck, D. and Solano, G. (2023). Integration policies and migrants' labour market outcomes: A local perspective based on different regional configurations in the EU, Comparative Migration Studies, 11, p.23.
• De Haas, H. (2005). International migration, remittances and development: myths and facts, Third World Quarterly, 26(8), p.1269–1284.
• Dustmann, C. Frattini, T. and Preston, I. (2008). The Effect of Immigration along the Distribution of Wages, RF Berlin- CReAM Discussion Paper Series 0803, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
• Dustmann, C. Frattini, T. and Preston, I. (2013). The Effect of Immigration along the Distribution of Wages, The Review of Economic Studies, 80(1), p.145–173.
• Dustmann, C., Schönberg, U. and Stuhler, J. (2016). The Impact of Immigration: Why Do Studies Reach Such Different Results, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30, p.31-56.
• Edo, A. and Rapoport, H. (2019). Minimum wages and the labour market effects of immigration, Labor Economics, 61, p. 101753.
• European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), (2024). Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the European Union, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
• Fall, F. (2018). The Czech economy is thriving, but labour shortages will limit growth, OECD, ECOSCOPE- OECD Economics Department, available online: 99, https://oecdecoscope.blog/2018/07/16/the-czech-economy- is-thriving-but-labourshortages-will-limit-growth/
• Fasani, F., Llull, J. and Tealdi, C. (2020). The economics of migration: Labour market impacts and migration policies, Labor Economics, 67, p.101929.
• Fernandez-Reino, M. and Rienzo, C. (2021). Migrants in the UK Labour Market: An Overview. Migration Observatory Briefing, COMPAS, University of Oxford.
• Foged, M. and Peri, G. (2016). Immigrants' Effect on Native Workers: New Analysis on Longitudinal Data, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8 (2), p. 1–34.
• Franco Gavonel, M., Adger, W. N., Safra de Campos, R., Boyd, E., Carr, E. R., Fábos, A., Fransen, S., Jolivet, D., Zickgraf, C., Codjoe, S. NA., Abu, M., and Siddiqui, T. (2021). The migration-sustainability paradox: transformations in mobile worlds. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 49, p. 98-109.
• Fry, C., Boyd, E., Connaughton, M., Adger, W. N., Gavonel, M. F., Zickgraf, C., Fransen, S., Jolivet, D., Fábos, A. H., and Carr, E. (2024). Migrants as sustainability actors: Contrasting nation, city and migrant discourses and actions. Global Environmental Change, 87, Article 102860.
• Grigorieff, A., Roth, C. and Ubfal, D. (2020). Does Information Change Attitudes Toward Immigrants? Demography 57, p.1117–1143.
• Hanson, G.H. (2009). The Economic Consequences of the International Migration of Labor. Annual Review of Economics, 1, p.179-208.
• Hanson, G.H. and McIntosh, C. (2016). Is the Mediterranean the New Rio Grande? US and EU Immigration Pressures in the Long Run. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30 (4), p. 57–82.
• Hanson, G.H. and Slaughter, M.J. (2016). High-Skilled Immigration and the Rise of STEM Occupations in U.S. Employment, Working paper 22623, Retrieved from: https://www.nber.org/papers/w22623
• Horton, R. M., de Sherbinin, A., Wrathall, D., and Oppenheimer, M. (2021). Assessing human habitability and migration. Science 372, p. 1279–1283.
• ILO (2021). Extending social protection to migrant workers, refugees and their families: A guide for policymakers and practitioners. Geneva: ILO, ISBN: 9789220339633.
• IOM. (2020). World Migration Report 2020. Retrieved from: https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/wmr_2020.pdf
• Kerr, S.P. and Kerr, W.R. (2011). Economic Impacts of Immigration: A Survey.Finnish Economic Papers, 24, p.1- 32.
• Khorramdel, L., von Davier, M., Gonzalez, E. and Yamamoto, K. (2020). Plausible Values: Principles of Item Response Theory and Multiple Imputations. In: Maehler DB, Rammstedt B, editors. Large-Scale Cognitive Assessment: Analyzing PIAAC Data. Cham: Springer International Publishing; p. 27–47
• Koczan, Z., Pinat, M. and Rozhkov, D.L. (2021). The Impact of International Migration on Inclusive Growth: A Review, International Monetary Fund Issue: 088, ISBN: 9781513571966.
• Lewis, E. (2011). Immigration, Skill Mix, and Capital Skill Complementarity. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126(2), p. 1029–1069.
• Mahboubi, P. (2024). Quality over Quantity: How Canada’s Immigration System can be Catch up with its Competitors, The C.D. Howe Institute, Commentary No. 654, ISBN: 978-1-77881-018-3
• McAuliffe, M. and Oucho, L.A. (eds.), 2024. World Migration Report 2024. International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva.
• Moskwa, M. (2024). Forced displacement of Refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Retrieved from: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/humanitarian- aid/forced-displacement_en
• Natarajan, A., Moslimani, M. and Lopez, M.H. (2022). Key facts about recent trends in global migration. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/12/16/key-facts-about-recent-trends-in- global-migration/
• Ozcan, B. (2020). The relationship between immigration, labour market conditions and GDP: Evidence from the states of the USA. Global Business and Economics Review, 23(1).
• Pecoraro, M. and Wanner, P. (2019). Does the Recognition of Foreign Credentials Decrease the Risk of Immigrants of Being Mismatched in Education or Skills? In Migrants and Expats: The Swiss Migration and Mobility Nexus (p.161-186), Springer, Cham
• Peri, G. and Sparber, C. (2009). Task Specialization, Immigration, and Wages. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1(3), p. 135–69.
• Peri, G. (2016). Immigrants Productivity and Labor Markets. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30, p.1-30.
• Přívara, A., Masárová, T., and Tupá, M. (2023). Migration and Labour Market Competitiveness: The Case of EU. Journal of Competitiveness, 15(1), p. 131-145
• Richwine, J. (2022). Skill deficits among foreign-educated immigrants: Evidence from the U.S., PIAAC. PLoS One, 17(8), e0273910.
• Schneider, J. (2023). Labour migration schemes, pilot partnerships, and skills mobility initiatives in Germany, World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies, World Bank.
• United Nation (2024). Migration and asylum in Europe – 2023 interactive publication. Retrieved from: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/interactive-publications/migration-2023#about-this-publication
• UNHCR (2023). Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2023. Retrieved from: https://www.unhcr.org/global- trends-report-2023
• Veneri, C. M. (1999). Can Occupational Labor Shortages Be Identified Using Available Data?, Monthly Labor Review, 122(3), s. 15-22. Available online: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1999/03/art2full.pdf
• Wang, G.Y. (2022). Talent Migration in Knowledge Economy: The Case of China's Silicon Valley, Shenzhen. J Int Migr Integr. 23(3), p. 1175-1196.