Page 26 - valuing-diversity-guidance-for-labour-market-integration-of-migrants

Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

CHAPTER 1.
Introduction

1.1. Why a study on guidance for immigrants?

Europe presently faces a decline of its natural population. In spite of the current
low performance of labour markets, due to the international economic crisis, this
decline will likely lead to medium-term labour shortages, in the absence of
migration movements.
National governments are currently urged to rationalise, justify and improve
integration policies so that immigrants can quickly find paths to learning and
employment, covering qualification gaps in the economy and minimising the
social tensions associated with the integration process.
The progressive decline in European fertility rates in the past 50 years, along
with the progressive retirement of a highly qualified workforce in the current
decade, indicate a low replacement rate for qualified labour. Cedefop research
further suggests that medium-term skills shortages will occur in highly skilled
occupations, due to acceleration in the demand for highly skilled professionals
(see Figure 1).

Figure 1 Changing skill composition of the occupational structure of
employment, EU-27, 2010-20
million jobs
45
40 High
Medium
35
Low
30
25

20
15
10
5

0
2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020 2010 2020
Legislators, Professionals Technicians Clerks Service and Skilled Craft and Plant and Elementary
senior officials and associate shop and agricultural related trades machine occupations
and managers professionals market sales and fishery workers operators and
workers workers assemblers
Source: Cedefop country workbooks, 2012.

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