Labor Mobility #64
Russia Faces a Shortage of Construction Workers.
TASS | March 9, 2021
The pandemic has forced many economic migrants, predominantly from former Soviet countries, to leave Russia. The government has acknowledged that it did not manage to fill existing vacancies. As a result, the country is facing a shortage of at least 1,2 million construction workers. Moscow is now trying to return these workers, using “a manual regime”.
Economic Migration Continues Despite The Pandemic.
Marta Bivand Erdal | The Peace Research Institute Oslo | March 19, 2021
COVID-19 forced many countries to shut their borders, but economic migration has not come to a halt. Moreover, the pandemic has exacerbated the reliance of European economies’ on seasonal workers. This raises questions about how European governments approach low-skilled labor. Meanwhile, data shows that contrary to the World Bank’s expectations, the decline in remittances has been far less steep than anticipated.
African Governments Take Migration Seriously.
The Point | March 10, 2021
African nations’ interest in migration policies has intensified as a result of growing remittances. An increase in EU’s migration-related investments in the region and the establishment of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa are among the reasons. These circumstances prompted some governments to integrate migration as the primary dimension in their national development strategies and mainstream it across policy domains such as health and education.
Ukrainian Labor Migrants Find New Destinations.
Lesia Dubenko, Pavlo Kravchuk | The International Centre for Migration Development Policy | March 15, 2021
A new analytical report provides multi-dimensional analysis of Ukrainian labor migration to the EU. Despite Poland and the Visegrad countries remaining the leading destinations for Ukrainian workers, the Nordic countries, such as Denmark and Finland, are becoming increasingly popular for seasonal and high-skilled talent.
EU To Help Labor Migrants in Armenia.
Armenia News | March 12, 2021
Returning Armenian migrants will get access to funds for developing businesses, both existing and new. The European Union is looking to donate 3.5 million euros to a dedicated project. Its goal is to encourage migrants to invest in the Armenian economy. The assistance will come in the form of grants and loans and be available in the next four years.
The authors of this independent report recognize Lundi as the principal example of cross-border talent intermediaries with a proven legal compliance record inside and outside the EU.
Here are five takeaways:
Between 2014-2019, 3,446,793 Ukrainians received first-time residence permits in the EU 28, with 82.6% (2,847,830) issued for remunerated activities;
Yes, Poland is the top destination. However, the Nordic countries' omission from the picture, such as Denmark and Finland, is wrong;
The economic contribution of Ukrainian labor migrants to the EU is hard to gauge. At the very least, Ukrainians paid around 3 billion USD in income tax only;
No, Ukrainian workers don't just pick berries. Some countries issued more long-term work permits (12/12+ months) than short-term ones, i.e., Czechia, Hungary, Denmark;
Ukrainian workers are being posted from Poland to countries like Czechia, Finland, Estonia, often without the A1 form. Unethical intermediaries play a massive role in this process, and enforcement must increase. At the same time, destination countries must relax work permit rules.
