Global Skills and Talent Initiative
MPI's cross-programmatic Global Skills and Talent Initiative examines the role of immigration in addressing labor shortages and evolving workforce needs in a dynamic period of economic shifts, demographic pressures, and technological advances.
Anchored in the premise that immigration policy must be part of a broader skills and talent strategy that considers economic, social, and national-interest imperatives, the Initiative has a particular focus on employment-based immigration and the supports that can help immigrants apply their full range of educational and professional skills.
Also collected here is work drawing on more than two decades of MPI research that focuses on 1) human capital and skills; 2) immigrant selection systems; 3) labor market integration; 4) the future of work; 5) migration partnerships; and 6) harnessing the benefits of immigration.
Featured
The Immigration Debate America Needs—and Is Not Having
Immigration is central to America’s economic future, yet debate fixates on border crises and policy failures instead of how a modern legal…
How Can Labour Migration Policies Help Tackle Europe’s Looming Skills Crisis?
With three-quarters of EU employers struggling to find workers, coordinated labour migration reforms offer Europe a pragmatic way to narrow its…
Showing 11–20 of 45 results
Investing in the Future: Higher Ed Should Give Greater Focus to Growing Immigrant-Origin Student Population
Eighty percent of the increase in U.S. college enrollment between 2000 and 2021 came from U.S.-born students with immigrant parents or first-generation immigrant students. This population, often overlooked, should receive significantly more focus as leaders in higher education and workforce development seek to deliver a skilled workforce for a rapidly changing U.S. labor market, this commentary argues.
Canada's New Tech Talent Strategy Takes Aim at High-Skilled Immigrants in the United States
Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy is highly unusual for its explicit targeting of visa holders in another country. Opening a dedicated stream specifically for high-skilled immigrants in the United States who hold an H-1B visa is the latest salvo in a growing global competition for talent—one in which some countries are racing ahead of the United States in terms of policy dynamism, as this commentary explores.
Meeting Global Skills and Talent Needs in Changing Labor Markets
The discussion focused on the extent to which labor market needs should shape future immigration policy decisions, and how countries are adjusting—and could adjust—their immigration systems to meet human capital and competitiveness needs.
What Role Can Immigration Play in Addressing Current and Future Labor Shortages?
Immigration can help address labor shortages across skill levels, but must be paired with training investments, flexible pathways, and cross-portfolio talent strategies.
Unblocking the U.S. Immigration System: Executive Actions to Facilitate the Migration of Needed Workers
Without congressional action, U.S. federal agencies can take targeted steps to cut processing backlogs and keep needed workers authorized and productive in the U.S. economy.
The Skills and Economic Outcomes of Immigrant and U.S.-Born College Graduates
Immigrant college graduates match or exceed U.S.-born peers economically, yet the skills of one-fifth of them are underutilized. The gap can be closed with English skills training and credential reform.
Why the European Labor Market Integration of Displaced Ukrainians Is Defying Expectations
People displaced from Ukraine are finding work more rapidly in European countries than prior refugee cohorts. But uncertainty over how long they will stay, combined with hurdles such as language barriers, has meant many are prioritizing any job over the right job. This commentary examines how policymakers could address this waste of skills as they seek to fill pressing labor needs and facilitate deeper integration of the new arrivals.
The Future of Remote Work: Digital Nomads and the Implications for Immigration Systems
More than 25 countries offered digital nomad visas by mid-2022, but most immigration systems remain ill-equipped for remote work and need reform, including to tax and social security systems.
How Can Europe Deliver on the Potential of Talent Partnerships?
Amid looming labour shortages, Europe’s Talent Partnerships represent a possible solution. But success will depend on buy-in and flexible design, as pilot programmes have yet to demonstrate scalability.
Narrowing the Skills Gap: Equipping Immigrant-Origin Workers with Postsecondary Credentials
The number of U.S. adults who could benefit from efforts to boost postsecondary credential attainment is strikingly large. Nearly 96 million working-age adults lack a postsecondary credential, 28 million of them of immigrant origin, MPI estimates. This commentary examines how enabling immigrant-origin adults to attain credentials beyond a high school diploma is vital to both building a skilled workforce and closing equity gaps.
