There are far less migrants in the world than what we are led to believe in the debate about migration. Only 3% of the world's population has migrated from their countries of origin. There are about 200 million migrants in the world as a whole- but the number increases every year. The bulk of migrants are labour migrants who toil to send back to their home countries 250 billion dollars a year.
The topic of global migration and the rights of migrants have been discussed at the Gothenburg book fair seminar last September. Joakim Palme, Managing Director of the Institute for Futures Studies and Jan O.Karlsson, former Minister for Development Cooperation and co-chair of the United Nations Global Commission on International Migration, GCIM, urged the need to change the views on the world's migrants- from a perceived problem to a positive force.
-- The statistics are explicit: 200 million migrants around the world send back home 250 billion dollars every year- five times more than the global official development assistance. Nearly a positive provocation in the development cooperation arena, said Jan O. Karlsson.
The majority of migrants leave their own countries for economic reasons, to escape poverty and joblessness, of which only a portion are refugees, about 9 million - a fraction of the world's population.
- We, who live in Sweden and Europe must understand that the majority of migrants are not refugees. They have lived through terrible ordeals and took in charge their destinies. Karl Oskar and Kristina did the same in their time, but to us they are emigrants, not migrants, observed Jan O. Karlsson.
The Global Commission on International Migration remitted in the autumn 2005, its final Report to the General Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. One of the most important recommendations addresses the need to lower the costs on migrants' remittances. The cost to send home 250 billion is awesome. We get upset when we have to pay to take out our money from the bank- but their transaction costs reach 17%. And these expenses are imposed on low wage earners. A whopping 4.25 billion dollars disappear on their way home.
- A significant contribution would be to organize a better system to carry out those transfers without such a waste of money along the way, noted Jan O. Karlsson.
"Brain circulation"
Joakim Palme and Jan O. Karlsson advocated jointly for a relief in restrictive policies and cumbersome procedures for migrants, both when they travel abroad and when they return home with their newly gained experiences and knowledge. "Brain drain" risks are often discussed when highly educated personnel are induced to leave developing countries, but Joakim Palme is of the opinion that there are positive aspects in this as well:
- Historically, it is more a question of "brain circulation" when migrants move back home with their newly acquired knowledge.
Migration constitutes a potential for tomorrow's development and therefore we should not prevent people to come over here, continued Joakim Palme. Instead of remaining jobless at home, they should be able to come to Sweden and the EU and to work, and to send some money home. However, we should help them return home when they feel like it.
-- We must protect the rights of migrants. Everyone who comes here should be treated like any other citizen, with all the incumbent rights and duties. We should not lock them in our own part of the world.
Many migrants who have worked abroad during their working lives, cannot for example bring their accrued pension rights back to their home country and will therefore find it difficult to return. Should developing countries pay for the education expenses of their citizens only to see them
vanish to rich countries?, wondered moderator Anna-Lena Lodenius.
- We should support education and research in developing countries to such an extent that the number of educated professionals who stay is higher than those who leave home.
We must open a dialogue with developing countries on the issue of migration and encourage them to integrate migration as a part of their development strategy, answered Joakim Palme.
Above all, there should be a substantial effort to provide for the education of health care workers in Africa, insisted Joakim Palme, and he referred to an hospital in Malawi where there were 3000 patients and only 30 nurses, of which 27 had received an invitation to travel to the UK. At the eve of the EU enlargement, misgivings on the part of several older EU member states about a disrupting influx of immigrant workers prompted the adoption of migration restrictions and admission guarantees. Neither Sweden nor the UK chose to do so. The UK has seen a considerable influx of foreign labour, as their market demand for labourers was high both in the private and the public sectors.
- But in Sweden, the demand was low and very few immigrant workers came in. The countries which had adopted transitional rules realized that there was not such an influx and they have started easing the restrictions ahead of schedule, Joakim Palme continued, pointing out that when we try to stop immigration, the risk increases for those adamant to leave their home countries, to undertake the voyage in small, unsafe boats on high seas and to be left in the hands of human traffickers.
Migration as a growth factor
Jan O. Karlsson recalled the state of mind in Europe at the adhesion of Spain and Portugal to the EU in 1986.
- The French were scared to see hordes of Spaniards crossing the Pyrenees mountains to snatch the jobs away from them. A few years later, someone with a bit of wits, took the time to check the numbers and it became clear that there had been more French leaving France than the other way around. Why? Many of the older immigrants had fled a low income despotic country. Those who wanted to leave Spain had already done so for quite a long time. When it was safe and secure to go back, many did. Spain is now one of the most dynamic immigrant countries.
- We have to abandon the idea that the labour market is a zero-sum game. New groups coming into the market do not mean massive joblessness, but increased growth. At the end of the sixties, there were similar discussions when women wanted to enter the labour market. There was a resounding no - it would lead to less jobs for men.
The argument that a job to a migrant would mean a job less for a Swede is just as silly today as it was then.
We need immigration to face shortages in elder care for example. Migration is a positive force in a world of mutual interdependence, asserted Jan O.Karlsson .
ANKI WOOD
This seminar was organized with the financial support of the European Union.
Reference Number of the Grant Contract: ONG-ED/2004/097-517-167
Title of the Action: JOBS JOBS JOBS - “Decent work” for all, the key to eradicating poverty”