Matching Economic Migration with Labour Market Needs

This publication gathers the papers presented at the “OECD-EU dialogue on
mobility and international migration: matching economic migration with labour
market needs” (Brussels, 24-25 February 2014), a conference jointly organised
by the European Commission and the OECD. It provides new evidence on the role
that international migration has played in Europe and in selected other OECD
countries over the past decade in terms of labour force; educational
attainment; and occupational changes. It analyses the availability and use of
migrants’ skills based on an in-depth literature review as well as new data
analyses for Europe and the United States, Canada and the OECD as a whole,
taking advantage of the International Survey of Adult Skills – PIAAC. Finally,
several chapters discuss the potential role of international migration in
meeting current and future labour market needs in Europe, in the United States
and in the European Union. This work shows that although migration can make an
important contribution to labour force growth, its role in counterbalancing
the effects of population ageing will depend on the capacity of countries to
match labour needs to migrants’ characteristics.