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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

formal environments. Sweden has similar validation procedures, with the
additional aspect of supporting recognition of skills for undocumented immigrants
(generally refugees, see case studies).

4.5. Quality issues

Quality assurance mechanisms are needed for the development and
sustainability of integration activities. In this section we explore some important
aspects which influence the overall quality of integration initiatives.

4.5.1.1. Improving labour market information
One of the main issues affecting both immigrants and employers is the poor
quality of the information about workers’ skills, the skills requirements of jobs, the
opportunities provided by training systems, and legal procedures for integration,
recognition and validation. This corresponds to the full spectrum of labour market
information, including labour demand and supply, as well as the production and
matching of skills.
From an employer perspective, reduced knowledge of labour legislation for
immigrant integration, recognition procedures, PES support and cumbersome
bureaucratic procedures might discourage the hiring of immigrants. This is
particularly true for SME’s, which have limited resources for investing in newly-
hired workers, who ideally should be job-ready to offer immediate investment
return.
Further, information provided by public services (mainly PES) about migrant
labour may be organised in a way (experience, skills descriptions, personal
profiles) which is not relevant to firms, since it might not relate to the firm context
(organisation of the production lines, commercial organisation and strategy).
Firms also usually have little or no influence in defining the quotas and skills
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priorities for point-based systems (IOM, 2013a) ( ), and may not need the priority
qualifications specified in the country. This raises the question of to which extent
are PBS systems demand-driven which, considering that the European economic
fabric is dominated by SME’s, makes this problem acute.
Reforms to increase the role of employers in the definition of the PBS were
introduced in the United Kingdom in 2011, giving them a greater formal role in

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( ) This information is largely based on the report improving access to labour market
information for migrants and employers.
http://www.labourmigration.eu/research/report/23-improving-access-to-labour-
market-information-for-migrants-and-employers [accessed 3.4.2014].

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