EU Labour Migration in Troubled Times: Skills Mismatch, Return and Policy Responses

The debate on the free movement of labour within the EU has gained new momentum in the wake of the economic crisis. Building on the earlier Ashgate publication EU Labour Migration Since Enlargement, the editors have assembled a team of experts from across Europe to shed light on the critical issues raised by internal labour mobility within the EU in the context of economic crisis and labour market pressures. The book's chapters tease out the links between economic developments, regulatory frameworks and migration patterns in different European countries. A central focus is on issues of skills and skills mismatch and how they relate to migration forms, duration and individual decisions to stay or return. Based on detailed analysis of European and national-level sources, the results presented clearly contradict assumptions about a "knowledge driven migration". Rather, over-qualification and the corresponding underutilisation of migrant workers' skills emerge as a pervasive phenomenon. At the same time the characteristics of migrants - not just skills, but socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes - and also their labour market integration are shown to be very diverse and to vary substantially between different sending and receiving countries. This calls for a differentiated analysis and raises complex issues for policymakers. Examples where policy has contributed to positive outcomes for both migrants and domestic workforces are identified. Unique in analysing labour migration flows within the European Union in a comparative manner putting skills into the centre and taking account of the effects of the economic crisis, while addressing policy concerns this is a valuable resource for academics, policymakers and practitioners alike.

Table of Contents:
1: EU Labour Migration and Labour Markets in Troubled Times 1; I: Different Types of Cross-border Labour Mobility and Skills–Job Mismatch; 2: Migration from the Accession Countries to the United Kingdom and Italy; 3: A Skill Mismatch for Migrant Workers? Evidence from WageIndicator Survey Data; 4: Educational Attainment and Education–Job Mismatch of Cross-border Commuters in the EU; II: The Extent and Qualitative Characteristics of Migration and Return against the Background of Crisis and Recovery; 5: Return Migration to Poland in the Post-accession Period; 6: Selectivity of Migrants from Baltic Countries Before and After Enlargement and Responses to the Crisis; III: Policy Implications of, and Responses to, Cross-border Labour Mobility in the EU after 2004; 7: Supporting, Recruiting and Organising Migrant Workers in Ireland and the United Kingdom; 8: Migrant Workers and Wage-setting Institutions; 9: Importing Skills

About the Author :
Dr Bela Galgóczi is a senior researcher at European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), Brussels, Belgium, Dr Janine Leschke is associate professor at the Department of Business and Politics at Copenhagen Business School, Denmark and Andrew Watt, formerly senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute in Brussels, since 2012 Andrew Watt has been head of the Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) department of the Hans-Böckler Foundation.

Review :
'This is much awaited and indeed valuable collection of analytical papers that examine the effects of on-going economic crisis on intra-EU worker mobility that ensued on the recent eastward enlargements. The book will not only meet the expectations of those interested in the European migration and outcomes of the extended freedom of labour movements but also in the management of those movements in the present turbulent period.' Marek Okolski, University of Warsaw and Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland 'This unique volume addresses some of the most fascinating and momentous developments characterizing labour mobility in an enlarged and crisis-stricken EU. An innovative analysis of skill mismatches, return migration and selectivity of migration, and an analysis of how migration interacts with wage setting and trade union policies make this book a must read for anyone wishing to grasp post-enlargement mobility in the EU.' Martin Kahanec, Central European University, Hungary '... the volume is a valuable resource for scholars working on recent migration streams within the European Union of twenty-seven.' Journal of Contemporary European Studies 'A particular strength of the book is the chapters that explore the distinctive outward and return migration patterns, in particular because they consider carefully the post-crisis economies in both the destination and sending countries. Consequently, the generally strong economic performance of Poland post-crisis can be compared with the increasing economic difficulties experienced, for example, by Romania and Latvia and used to explain changing patterns of mobility. ... this is an interesting book that makes an important quantitative contribution to the analysis of migration within the EU, both in terms of its content and its accessibility to non-econometricians.' Industrial Relations Journal