European Migration

Developed countries, especially in Europe, face a number of issue related to migration: social and economic disruptions caused by the declining demand for unskilled labour and resulting unemployment, a shortage of skilled labour in many professions, increasing international competition for highly qualified human capital, radical demographic changes, and the forthcoming expansion of the European Union, which will trigger further immigration into major Europeancountries and create new market opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe.This suggests a need for a deeper knowledge of the causes and consequences of increased labour mobility. This is especially important when it is associated with tension and fears among native populations. This book brings together analyses of migration issues in major European countries, and compares evidence with more countries that have traditionally seen the most immigration.First, it studies migration streams since World War II, and reviews major migration policy regimes. Second, it summarizes the empirical evidence measuring wages, unemployment, and occupational choices. Third, it investigates how migrants affects the labour markets of their host countries, and evaluates econometric studies into the wage and employment consequences of immigration. Surprisingly, there is wide evidence that immigration is largely beneficial for receiving countries. There might be phases of adjustment, but there is no convincing evidence that natives' wages are depressed or unemployment increases as a consequence of migrant inflow. However, there is a growing impression that migration does serve less and less the needs of the labour market. This suggests a stronger focus on economic channels of immigration, for which the book provides a conceptual basis andthe required empirical facts and institutional background.

This is a valuable contribution to the literature on immigration....Overall, the book is a very useful compendium of econometric results on various aspects of migration and would be a valuable reference for migration specialists and labour economists. Policy-makers may also draw some important lessons from these findings.

Klaus Zimmermann is Professor of Economics at Bonn University and Director of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA Bonn). He is also President of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Honorary Professor of Economics at the Free University of Berlin, Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) in London, Associate Research Fellow of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels, Research Associate of the Centerfor Comparative Immigration Studies (CCIS) at the University of California-San Diego, and member of the "Group of Economic Analysis" (GEA) to the President of the EU Commission. He has written and edited over thirty books and numerous papers.