Work-related migration to rich countries fell by more than one-fifth last year as labor markets weakened and countries including Australia and the United Kingdom tightened visa rules, according to new research from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Data from the Paris-based institute, made up of 38 rich and emerging economies, showed that work-related Emigration denied Between 2023 and 2024, arrivals to the United States plummeted even before Donald Trump returned to the White House.
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After years of steady growth following the global Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people entering permanent employment in the OECD fell by 21 percent last year, to an average of 934,000.
Part of the decline stems from the tightening of visa policy – most visibly in the UK, where net migration fell by more than 40 per cent in 2024. But even with no change in policy, labor migration in most EU countries fell below 2019 levels.
According to Jean-Christophe Dumont, who heads the OECD’s international migration department, the recession could be attributed to “less favorable” global economic conditions.
In April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global growth forecast for 2025 by 0.5 percent to 2.8 percent, citing President Donald Trump. Trade war as a limiting factor.
Meanwhile, other countries that have traditionally been among the largest recipients of migrants have tightened entry rules. In the past two years, Canada, Australia and the UK have all taken measures to limit work-related migration.
Elsewhere, Dumont noted that the large number of Ukrainians granted temporary protection in Europe has eased labor shortages in many sectors, reducing the demand for foreign workers.
Accordingly the most recent According to data from the OECD, an estimated 5.1 million Ukrainians fled their country in pursuit of Russia. A full-scale invasion in 2022 Now living in OECD member countries until June 2025.
What about other types of migration?
The OECD reports a 13 percent decline in the number of new international students arriving in OECD countries from 2023 to 2024. Strict visa policies in the UK, US, Canada and Australia played a key role, driving migrant fraud as well as pressure on the local housing market.
In contrast, migration for humanitarian reasons continues to increase. Asylum applications surged in the US in the final months of the Biden administration last year, and there has been a large increase in illegal immigration to the UK. Arrival of small boats from EU countries in recent months.
These increases mean that, despite declines in labor and student migration, total permanent migration to advanced economies in 2024 is down slightly, 4 percent from the previous year’s peak.
Still, the 6.2 million newcomers to the OECD recorded in 2024 exceed pre-pandemic levels by about 15 percent. Temporary labor mobility, visas that do not lead to permanent settlement, is stable at approximately 2.3 million. It remains above 2019 levels.
How have migration numbers changed?
A record 6.5 million people settled in OECD countries in 2023. That’s up almost 10 percent from the previous record of six million people moving in 2022 – the biggest increase was in the UK.
Roughly a third of OECD countries experienced record levels of migration in 2023, including Canada, France and Japan. The US gained 1.2 million permanent legal immigrants and Donald Trump campaigned for the 2024 election. prevent migration.
Despite the political debate, research by investment bank Goldman Sachs found that Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany and the U.K. will generate the most employment growth in 2023, adding more than four million jobs to the U.S.
What’s in the future?
Dumont suggests that overall immigration to OECD countries may slow slightly in 2025, but will remain historically high despite stricter US immigration policies. He also highlighted that the employment rate among immigrants in the labor market is stable.
In the UK, for example, the employment rate among foreign-born workers was around 76 percent – a figure slightly behind the rate reported for the native-born.
He attributed this partly to visa schemes geared towards high-skilled roles and partly to low-skilled migrants voluntarily “filling the gap” in jobs UK citizens did not want.
Fabiola Mires, a senior expert on migration at the International Labor Organisation, told Al Jazeera: “We need to rethink some of the issues surrounding the shortage of local workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction and health (where migrant workers are concentrated).
“Clearly, the minimum wage and working conditions are part of the story.”
She added, “Immigration will continue to be an important part of electoral politics around the world, particularly in Europe and the US. It creates very heated emotions.”
What is OECD?
The OECD was established in 1948 to coordinate the US Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Western Europe after World War II. At the time, it provided a forum for economic planning and the removal of trade barriers between its European members.
In the late 1950s, as European reconstruction neared completion, member states sought a more global framework for economic cooperation. In 1961, the OECD expanded its membership to include the US and Canada.
In subsequent decades, the OECD expanded its membership to include countries in the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe, reflecting its evolution from a transatlantic group to a broader community of advanced and emerging countries.
By the late 20th century, the OECD had become a central center for economic research, policy analysis and the development of governance standards. It was widely recognized for its work and research on education, labor market and environmental policy.
In 2019, the OECD led the proposal Taxing large multinationals at least 15 percent to end decades of tax competition between governments trying to attract foreign investment.
Rules, which were Accepted by the G20 In October 2021, it will become harder for large international companies, including giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, to avoid taxation by setting up offices in low-tax jurisdictions.