There are many political players who have insisted that the economic recovery is green and digital. The situation of international instability, triggered by the invasion of Ukraine, has helped strengthen this bet. However, it would not only entail great technical challenges, but also in its human dimension. The energy transition and digitization will require even more highly qualified workers, who are already in short supply.
Under these circumstances, who would not wish for qualified immigration in their country? The positions of the European parliamentary groups, which have always been divided on the issue of migration, seem to be converging in this regard. This consensus was reflected in the blue card policy review process, the process of which ended on October 7, 2021.
Conceived in 2009 to attract highly qualified non-EU workers, it had proved ineffective. The new directive aims to make the European Union (EU) as a whole more attractive and overcome some of the limitations of the previous text. It is clear that the EU cannot solve the labor shortages in these sectors in the short term without resorting to demographically stronger areas.
Source: Center for Global Development.
However, the general consensus among political forces on the need to attract more skilled immigrants contrasts sharply with EU border control policies. Also in the area of labor migration itself, the lack of a reform of the seasonal worker directive targeting less skilled sectors is evident. This has been happening for some time despite significant shortcomings. EU policy has established a double standard with extractivist overtones. This practice, which characterized 19th-century European colonialism, in which industrialized centers extracted labor and raw materials à la carte from conquered territories, has evolved into more subtle forms.
On the one hand, strict work permit management is imposed on medium- and low-skilled migrants who recruit in their countries of origin and only for a limited period of time. This system leaves migrants to their employers, who are often forced to accept poor living conditions and lower wages than local workers. This type of exploitation is well known in agriculture, which is characterized by seasonal work.
On the other hand, it aims to attract the largest possible number of highly qualified profiles from non-EU countries by offering them exceptional conditions and advantages compared to the previous category of workers. The interests of the European Union are given priority and the needs of the countries of origin are disregarded. Recruitment often takes place in regions that cannot afford to do without this type of specialist.
Source: Usman et al. (2022). Note: Percentage calculated based on the total number of highly skilled workers in each region.
The text of the new Blue Card Directive recognizes the importance of reconciling the economic objectives of Member States that are demanding skilled workers and those from which they are migrating. However, the EU’s efforts to prevent the brain drain from the countries that need it most do not seem to be taking hold as quickly as in the area of border security. Perhaps the most promising is a series of pilot projects involving the EU, linked to what is known as the Global Skills Partnership.
Conducted under bilateral agreements between a Member State and a non-EU country, these training programs aim to train people in the country of origin and accompany those who wish to migrate to the EU, for example. Thanks to this agreement, the two countries achieve their goals. The recipient ensures that the migration they receive meets the needs of their labor market, and the country of origin receives technology and funding to carry out the training. These are aimed both at workers who intend to migrate and at those who would rather stay in the country and improve their salary prospects.
With this approach, the European economy fails to benefit from the efforts of impoverished countries and diverts workers that have been trained with difficulty and with scarce resources. Through these programs, the destination country commits to increasing the total number of qualified profiles, thereby rebalancing.
The obsession with security monopolizes all efforts. Projects to create new avenues for legal migration are only marginally developed
As promising as this initiative is, it is far from up to the challenge. There are currently only two projects involving European countries. Meanwhile, the blue card policy was relaunched without including sufficient safeguards to prevent brain drain. The obsession with security monopolizes all efforts. Projects to create new avenues for legal migration are developing only marginally.
The European Union needs to change its approach. Playfully build sandcastles around its edges to see if they can withstand the tide. Migration is an unstoppable phenomenon and arises from one of the feelings we need most in a world facing enormous challenges: hope. In any case, work can be done to stabilize the rhythms with which shifts occur. The problem is not immigration, but the economic, political and ecological crises that are deteriorating people’s living conditions. Attracting talent from countries least able to do without it will only worsen their situation and make them more vulnerable to the challenges they are already facing.
Pablo Sallabera Moszczyńska is a journalist at the Fundación porCausa.
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