The Integration of Migrants and its Effects on the Labour Market

This study provides an overview of the situation of immigrants in the European Union, by focusing on the process of their integration and its impact on the labour market. Section 1 provides information on the scale of the migration phenomenon, focusing on the origin patterns of immigrants to the EU 27 and describing evidence about the need of immigrant workers. Section 2 explores in greater detail the employment situation of immigrants, their distribution across the industrial sectors and how this compares with the native population. The legal status of seasonal workers, posted workers and intracorporate transferees from outside the EU is outlined in Section 3, where immigration legislation for these types of workers is described. Section 4 explores obstacles to the integration of immigrants and their children within the educational system, as well as their assimilation into the labour market. The role of both restrictive immigration policies and of practical barriers to integration is investigated. The impact of immigration on the wages and on the welfare state is considered in Section 5, where evidence from empirical studies is compared with the results of opinion surveys. Section 6 concludes the study with an overview of the current implementation of antidiscrimination laws in EU countries. The section describes best practices taken at the national and company level which have been successful in promoting the integration of immigrants, preventing discrimination and improving their social inclusion. The final Section 7 gives some policy recommendations.