European countries are taking two approaches to managing current and future immigrants, migrants, and asylum seekers. One is socially and economically integrating those already in Europe, and another is developing internal and external partnerships to create a workforce for future needs across industries. - BY ANNA GONSALVES
Immigration is a hot button issue in Europe at present, but the continent’s migration challenges are not new. In 2005, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe published a draft resolution that the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population prepared. It reflected a belief that a “multicultural, multi-ethnic Europe” was increasingly becoming a “refuge for asylum seekers and a destination for immigrants.” The Committee said it was necessary to take up the most pressing challenge of guaranteeing fundamental societal values like human rights to benefit fully from the opportunities that immigration brings regarding the labor supply, intellectual input, and cultural diversity.
However, when those early frameworks were adopted, it was a different world. There was no way to anticipate that human migration would reach even higher levels over the last three to five years due to political, economic, and societal issues globally plus the end of the COVID pandemic, extreme poverty, and multiple wars. The challenges Europe faces are enormous, but so are the opportunities to develop a diverse workforce that meets current and future labor needs.
Immigrants, migrants, and refugees seek relief from problems in their countries and most choose to enter high-income countries. They want economic opportunities, human rights, and better lives for family members. As of 2020, there were 281 million migrants, with 145 million seeking to settle in Europe and North America. The flow of humans continue. Nearly every day, there are stories of boats filled with refugees risking their lives to reach European shores.
The challenges of assimilating tens of millions of immigrants, migrants, and refugees are enormous. The most fundamental challenge is introducing them into society in a way that first meets basic human needs, like shelter and food. From this challenge, increasingly difficult ones arise, like how to help people of working age learn the language, find employment, and be accepted into society without asking them to give up their cultural uniqueness. Businesses will necessarily play a significant role in the assimilation of people making Europe their destination, which is to their advantage. While there are many challenges, there are opportunities because diversity brings innovation.
Cultural integration is a balancing act. The goal is to integrate people into a society’s values and aspirations, like equal human rights and equal opportunities. Yet, at the same time, cultural differences should be embraced as a source of new ideas, creativity, and innovation. The people moving to Europe are not just a new labor source for businesses. They bring new perspectives and ideas that can be turned into market opportunities through product and service development and delivery. Balancing social integration with the retention of the identity of human uniqueness is the real challenge and opportunity at this time.
Presenting a Problem Instead of an
Opportunity
Europe and its businesses face growing politicization that is driving political parties to argue over immigration policies at the national level, leaving the newly arrived feeling unwelcomed and second class. Often left out of the conversation is the rich diversity that immigrants, migrants, and refugees bring. It creates a dilemma for businesses that desire to create organizational cultures of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. External pressures that support biases mean employees are encouraged to maintain their personal biases. They do not check their biases at the door when showing up for work.
While the different flows of humans are not new to Europe, the uncontrolled flow of people has created a situation where biases can flourish. One of the first opportunities for businesses is to address the biases as they develop inclusive workplace cultures.
The International Order of Migration’s Regional Director in Brussels, Ola Henrikson, says that irregular immigration needs to be put into perspective. He says immigration of any source is “A subject more often presented as a problem than an opportunity.” However, regular and irregular migration generates economic gains, staves off the EU’s population decline, and helps fill labor shortages.
The factors slowing the inclusion of non-European Union citizens into the workforce are structural barriers, discrimination, and a black market. The black market is strong in industries that include agriculture, textiles, manufacturing, restaurants, hotels, and delivery services. Henrikson points to the fact that Europe’s discussion is on allowing selective immigration of highly skilled people. Yet, there are needs in many industries not requiring post-graduate degrees, including basic services and healthcare.
Finding New Approaches to
Leveraging Diverse Labor
Europe needs an influx of immigrants to maintain economic strength. However, welcoming people from developing and underdeveloped nations needs a forward-thinking strategy. The Talent Partnerships program is a legal pathway to the European Union founded on engaging partner countries in migration management. It directly supports partner countries that will assist their citizens with study, work, or training. The program targets all skill levels and includes professional and vocational training. The European Union wants to encourage migration as a source of people to fill industries with labor shortages and to support the restructuring to a climate-neutral and digital economy which means labor is needed for energy, construction, transport, and manufacturing for going green.
Integration into the labor market will only work if employer policies on diversity and inclusion support the government. The partnership of government and private businesses is essential to leveraging opportunities for economic growth and business sustainability. Employers have to be willing to hire the new labor. The Talent Partnerships program has struggled to achieve measurable progress, and recently, the European Commission presented new initiatives in a Skills and Talent Mobility package as part of a revamped program. The initiatives include matching EU employers with jobseekers in third countries and implementing processes for easier and faster recognition of the person’s qualifications. Ambitious goals for 2030 include increased mobility for 25% of higher education graduates, 20% for learners with fewer opportunities, and 15% for vocational learners.
Employers must be willing to participate in initiatives like these. The Talent Partnerships program offers tangible benefits. For example, it supports small and medium-sized enterprises that lack global recruiting experience. It also helps employers build global networks, increase collaboration, and contribute to worker training. Initiatives like these may even slow irregular migration by giving people a reason to remain in their own countries until they are trained and ready for employment.
It will undoubtedly take a joint effort of government and businesses to overcome the barriers to social and economic integration that migrants experience. Without proper integration, irregular migrants will remain a shadow workforce. New approaches are needed going forward, coupled with employers taking advantage of opportunities in unique ways.