E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
Employment & the Economy

Employment & the Economy

Competitiveness
Recession & Employment
Fiscal Impacts
Labor Market Impacts
Recruitment
Sectoral Employment
Skills
Temporary Workers
_Employment+Economy

As workers and consumers, immigrants play a role in the labor markets and economies of the countries in which they settle. The research collected here examines how immigrants fare in the labor market, whether they are affected differently than native-born workers during cycles of boom and bust, the role of migration policymaking as a lever of competitiveness, employment of the foreign born by sector and skill, and the fiscal impacts of immigration. MPI's research also assesses the role of temporary workers and the labor recruitment process.

Recent Activity

Nigerian Ministry of interior launched IOM’s Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) in Abuja airport.
Multimedia
May 10, 2022
The State of Global Human Mobility More than Two Years into the Pandemic
Instructors teach an African dance class in Miami.
Articles
May 11, 2022
Sub-Saharan African Immigrants in the United States
By Jane Lorenzi and Jeanne Batalova
A woman in a winter coat receives food from a woman in an orange safety vest at a train station in P
Commentaries
May 2022
The Ukrainian Conflict Could Be a Tipping Point for Refugee Protection
By  Meghan Benton and Andrew Selee
Cover image for COVID-19 and the State of Global Mobility in 2021
Reports
May 2022
COVID-19 and the State of Global Mobility in 2021
By  Meghan Benton, Samuel Davidoff-Gore, Jeanne Batalova, Lawrence Huang and Jie Zong
People in France rally for far-right politician Marine Le Pen on May Day.
Articles
May 5, 2022
France Reckons with Immigration Amid Reality of Rising Far Right
By Ekrame Boubtane
Report cover, From Fear to Solidarity
Reports
May 2022
From Fear to Solidarity: The Difficulty in Shifting Public Narratives about Refugees
By  Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Emergency department. Centre Hospitalier de la Région d'Annecy (CHRA)
Multimedia
April 28, 2022
How Can Europe Address Its Labor Market Needs at a Time of Upheaval?
Help Wanted sign offers employment in a restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland
Multimedia
April 20, 2022
With Millions of Unfilled U.S. Jobs, What Role Is There for Immigration?

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Coverthumb TCM Competitiveness Australia
Reports
May 2019
The Evolution of the Australian System for Selecting Economic Immigrants
By  Anna Boucher and Amy Davidson
Coverthumb MPI Noncitizens Military
Policy Briefs
May 2019
Noncitizens in the U.S. Military: Navigating National Security Concerns and Recruitment Needs
By  Muzaffar Chishti, Austin Rose and Stephen Yale-Loehr
Coverthumb HighlySkilledMexicans TX
Fact Sheets
May 2019
A Profile of Highly Skilled Mexican Immigrants in Texas and the United States
By  Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee
Coverthumb ImmigrationChangesTrumpAdministration
Reports
May 2019
Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration
By  Sarah Pierce
Coverthumb MPI ImmigrationIssues2019
Reports
May 2019
Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions
By  Doris Meissner and Julia Gelatt
Coverthumb TCM Competitiveness Canada
Reports
April 2019
The Canadian Express Entry System for Selecting Economic Immigrants: Progress and Persistent Challenges
By  Daniel Hiebert
Coverthumb MPIE SpainMigrationPathways
Reports
April 2019
Spain’s Labor Migration Policies in the Aftermath of Economic Crisis
By  Kate Hooper
Competing Approaches to Selecting Economic Immigrants: Points-Based vs. Demand-Driven Systems
Reports
April 2019
Competing Approaches to Selecting Economic Immigrants: Points-Based vs. Demand-Driven Systems
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Kate Hooper

Pages

Refugees prepare to be resettled in the United Kingdom.
Profile
August 19, 2021
United Kingdom’s Decades-Long Immigration Shift Interrupted by Brexit and the Pandemic

The United Kingdom was once a country primarily of emigration, but in recent decades many more migrants have arrived at its borders than have left. This decades-long transition was interrupted by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, and this article describes the inflection point at which the country finds itself.

Spotlight
August 11, 2021
Central American Immigrants in the United States

The number of Central American immigrants in the United States has grown dramatically, amid political corruption, violence, and natural disasters in their native countries. But recent images of Central Americans arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border do not tell the whole story, with more than half the population arriving in 2000 or earlier. This article offers key data on the 3.8 million Central American immigrants in the United States.

The flags of the United States and Canada.
Spotlight
June 15, 2021
Canadian Immigrants in the United States

The United States and Canada share the world's longest land border and similar cultures. But Canadians account for a tiny and shrinking share of all U.S. immigrants. Canadian immigrants tend to have higher educations and be older than other immigrant groups. This Spotlight explores the history and features of the Canadian immigrant population in the United States.

Flags of the European Union fly outside of the European Parliament in Brussels.
Feature
June 3, 2021
Borderless Europe: Seven Decades of Free Movement

Between Brexit and COVID-19, Europe’s 31-country zone of free movement has been profoundly tested. Still, the area has constantly evolved over the last 70 years, to include new groups of individuals who can freely move for work, study, or leisure, as well as cover larger geographic areas. This article examines the history and challenges to free movement, a crowning success of the European project.

Two men talk during a retiree luncheon
Policy Beat
May 26, 2021
Slowing U.S. Population Growth Could Prompt New Pressure for Immigration Reform

Results from the 2020 census show that the U.S. population has been growing at its slowest rate since the Great Depression. Reduced immigration has been one component of this sluggish population growth, which could pose a problem for the United States as people age and strain public retirement systems. This U.S. Policy Beat article examines how immigration fits into the country's demographic puzzle.

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flickr NATO Secretary General joins world leaders at UN General Assembly in New York 37197862271_ac3016b5db_z
Video, Audio
September 12, 2018

Making the Global Compact on Migration a Reality: Ideas for Enhancing Regular Migration Pathways at All Skill Levels

As the final phase of preparations for the historic adoption of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration approaches, this webinar explores two central objectives of the compact: enhancing the availability and flexibility of pathways for regular migration, and investing in skills development.

EVENT PHOTO 2018.9.5 CORCHADO event
Video
September 5, 2018

Homelands: Four Friends, Two Countries and the Fate of the Great Mexican-American Migration

A book discussion with author and veteran journalist Alfredo Corchado, MPI President Andrew Selee, and other experts on the nature of U.S.-Mexico immigration and the role of Mexican immigrants in the United States.

Event PH 2018.6.5 Andrew Selee
Video, Audio
June 5, 2018

Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together

Marking the release of MPI President Andrew Selee's latest book, speakers explore emerging trends in migration, economic interdependence, technology innovation, and cultural exchange that are transforming the relationship between the United States and Mexico, and the policy implications

FLICKR A LONG HUG HELLO 3125111043_537381b9db_z
Video, Audio
April 10, 2018

Family Immigration Policy and Trends: How the United States Compares to Other Countries

How does U.S. policy on family migration compare to that of other significant immigrant-receiving countries? MPI experts discuss the trends and policies for Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

EVENT PHOTO 2018.3.19 Immigration Data option 2a
Video, Audio
March 19, 2018

Immigration Data Matters: How to Find the Most Accurate Resources

With immigration increasingly visible in the news and the political space in the United States and internationally, getting access to accurate, high-quality data is essential to understand immigration’s demographic effects and impacts on the economy, education and labor systems, and communities. This event marks the release of the Immigration Data Matters guide.

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
November 2013

Building New Skills: Immigration and Workforce Development in Canada

An examination of Canada's workforce development system and policies at a time of high unemployment among Canada's immigrants, this report covers why a growing number of policymakers think that the system may need reform. It also offers recommendations for more effective workforce development policies.
Video, Audio
October 31, 2013

10th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

The 10th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured keynotes by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, as well as panel discussions covering a range of key immigration topics.

Commentaries
October 2013

The Lampedusa Tragedy Prompts the Question: Does the UN Have Any Impact on the World’s Migrants?

As hundreds of migrants were drowning in the Mediterranean, the United Nations General Assembly was hours from gathering for only the second time in its history to address international migration. The juxtaposition threw a question into sharp relief: does the world body have any impact on the world’s migrants?
Reports
October 2013

Immigrant Workers and the Workforce Development System in the United Kingdom

This report, the first in a series examining workforce development systems in three countries, focuses on the increasingly employer-led and flexible UK system that operates alongside centralized immigration and employment policies.
Reports
October 2013

Maximizing Potential: How Countries Can Address Skills Deficits within the Immigrant Workforce

More than ever, human capital is seen as the ultimate resource. As a result, policymakers face the challenge of ensuring that workers have the skills and abilities to find productive employment and contribute to growth, innovation, and competitiveness in constantly evolving labor markets. Migrants’ skills are often seen as an untapped resource that, with the right formula of policies, can bolster competitiveness and fuel productivity.
Policy Briefs
October 2013

What We Know About Migration and Development

This policy brief, which concludes a nine-brief series examining what is known about the linkages between migration and development, suggests that the policy framework on migration and development remains relatively weak, and few development agencies have made it a priority to promote the positive impact of international migration.
Articles
September 18, 2013

Labor Migration in the United Arab Emirates: Challenges and Responses

The United Arab Emirates has the fifth-largest international migrant stock in the world, with 7.8 million migrants out of a total population of 9.2 million. Heavily reliant on foreign labor to sustain economic growth, the UAE government in 1971 introduced a temporary guest worker program. This article examines the economic, social, and political challenges and implications of the program for the government, Emirati nationals, and migrant workers in the UAE.

Policy Briefs
September 2013

What We Know: Regulating the Recruitment of Migrant Workers

Private recruitment agencies orchestrate much of the migration process, from predeparture to return. They provide information, assistance, and even financial support to migrants; facilitate transit to and from the destination; and in some cases employ migrants directly. While recruitment agencies protect migrants, sometimes removing them from abusive workplaces or even organizing repatriation, migrants’ dependence on them for so many services also creates many opportunities for exploitation and abuse. This brief assesses the forms of regulation that are being proposed and enacted to oversee recruitment agencies and identifies several areas for further improvement.

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