1 “Skills and Migration” Meeting of Experts on Skills to Meet Global Challenges Ummuhan Bardak European Training Foundation (ETF) International Training Centre of the ILO Turin, 16 March 2010

2 ETF Work on Skills & Migration in Sending Countries Research project on migration and skills in covering Albania, Egypt, Moldova, Tunisia and Ukraine to analyse the links between migration and skills, skill composition of migrants and role of migration on skill development Migration and sectoral skills analysis in Egypt in construction and tourism ( ) to review local occupational standards used to accredit migrant workers and assess skills-matching for migration, in particular between Egypt and Italy Skills recognition component of the EC Mobility Partnership with Moldova ( ) to develop mechanisms for transparent professional qualifications and better LM and skills matching under legal labour migration schemes with the perspective of circularity and return For more info: where 5 Country Migration Reports are available and downloadable + « Sythesis Report on Migration and Skills: The Experience of Migrant Workers from Albania, Egypt, Moldova and Tunisia »

3 Labour migration and its skills dimension (1) ‘Brain drain’, ‘brain gain’, ‘brain circulation’ or ‘brain waste’? Migration involves different stages (stages of exit, adjustment, consolidation, networking and return) for both sending and receiving countries and individuals It is increasingly a ‘circular’ movement due to labour demand structure, easy/cheap transportation& communication, trade and education links, geographical/language proximity or easy entry-exit Net outcome of migration hugely varies not only by country-specific conditions (both sending and receiving), but also by individual characteristics of migrants (gender, age, low-medium-high skilled etc) A holistic approach covering all stages of migration cycle required for understanding the overall outcome for skill gaps (e.g. potential migrants, pre- departure, labour and skills matching, work experience abroad, remittences, return& reintegration, diaspora)

4 Labour migration and its skills dimension (2) «Are migration and skills linked in a way that could contribute to the development of both sending and receiving countries, and at the same time, benefit the migrant”? Migration affects skills through decreasing or increasing labour supply or incentives for skills gain, but skills also impact migration possibility or choices: a continuous interaction (e.g. push and pull effects, individual characteristics etc) One party can gain more than the others in different phases of migration, but all parties involved can win through cooperation and better management (sending countries, receiving countries, and migrants >> win-win-win) Win-win-win situation would involve mechanisms for a ‘virtuous migration circle’: Comparison and matching of the skills supplied by sending country with the skills shortages of receiving country, including widely available information and channels for potential migrants Effective use of know-how and experience brought back by returnees in domestic LM and local business development

5 Labour migration and its skills dimension (3) The process of ‘skill-matching’ between migrant workers and jobs abroad is key for an efficient labour mobility (e.g. asymetric information about skills of migrants and job profiles, lack of formal signalling mechanisms etc) Knowledge needed on different dimensions of skills-matching mechanisms: transparency of formal and non-formal skills, the content of national qualifications by sectors, employers’ requirements, recognition systems and trust Information on the skill profiles of populations, skills needs of labour markets on both sides, professional qualification structures by sectors, mechanisms for recognition of qualifications Existence of specific skills development mechanisms for migration to match demand in receiving countries, including labour-matching tools and targeted human capital formation Availability and efficiency of mechanisms for the assessment, certification, transparency and recognition of migrants’ skills & qualifications both in host and return countries

6 Labour migration and its skills dimension (4) Quality and transparency of skills and of education and training systems, skill needs of labour markets and sectoral skill assessments on both sides should be at the centre for successful management of labour migration The potential contribution of regional qualification frameworks to skill-matching process (through recognition and harmonisation) could be explored: e.g. the EU tools like Bologna and Copenhagen Processes, European Qualifications Framework, European Credit for Vocational Education and Training etc No pre-determined conclusion / outcome of migration on skills: every case needs to be studied specifically covering all phases of migration cycle. However, benefits can be considerably greater for all parties by making the migration process a ‘virtuous circle’.