EU must modify its labour migration policies, says OECD Report

A new report, entitled ‘Recruiting Immigrant Workers: Europe’, by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) stated that the European Union should amend its policies for legal workforce migration and make it convenient for people completing graduation in the EU to obtain a work permit there, if it is looking at attracting talent from across the globe. Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD, Stefano Scarpetta, was of the view that the EU’s long-term competitiveness and its capability to move to a solid and sustainable growth movement is risky. Although the United States was overtaken by the EU as the top destination for foreign students, students do not prefer to stay back in the continent after graduating there. Only around 16 percent to 30 percent of students stay back in EU when compared to 33 percent staying back in OECD countries outside Europe. As per the report, migrants to the EU are younger and less educated when compared to those in the other OECD destinations. In fact, 57 percent of the well-educated migrants from emerging nations stay in the US as against 31 percent in EU and OECD countries. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs director for migration and mobility, Belinda Pyke, said that EU needs to source talent from outside to help tackle the workforce shortage issue. Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission President, on 7 June stated his intent to promote a new policy for Europe on legal migration to tackle the shortage of skilled workforce and to lure skilled people to the EU. The fact that the EC is committed to addressing the migration issue should warm the hearts of students and job seekers from India looking to make a career there. Y-Axis, with its 17 offices across India, will help all those who want to migrate to one of the EU countries.