“An employer perspective on the need for mobility and free movement of labour Prague 2009

Mobility – yes please Mobility is not a goal in itself – but….. Mobility creates a europewide match between companies end employees Example: Swedish and polish are languages in Copenhagen Mobility optimizes the use of qualifications Mobility optimizes the prize the worker can get for his/her skills Mobility is contributing to the exchange of ideas and innovation

Migration policys must Focus on reducing barriers for mobility Remember that integration is an aspect of migration Companies and governments must create popular support for mobility Make sure that the salary and working conditions are not different from local workers Ensure better teaching of foreign languages Focus on active labour marked policy

Do not ! Stop investing in education because it is easier to recruit by migration. Think migration is all about the highly skilled Think that discussing intra-EU migration is enough…….. Europe needs more qualified labour than we can get by “stealing” from each other

Europe faces demographic challenge 15-64 years old, 2005=100. Source:UNdata, http://data.un.org

South Eastern Asia compared to Europe 15-64 years old, index, 2005=100 Source: UNdata, http://data.un.org

Science graduates (all tertiary education) Per 100.000 employed 25-34-year-olds, 2005 source: OECD - ”Education at a Glance 2007”, ww.oecd.org

Conclusion We must encourage more mobility within Europe We must reduce barriers to mobility ….BUT ”stealing” from each other will not help Europe in the long term perspective We need qualified migrants from the rest of the world Investments in education in Europe, on lifelong learning and maybe even investing in education in other parts of the world will help Europe