Immigration and the Global Recession
The Economic Crisis Has Important Implications for Immigrants
Aug 30, 2009
As times get tough due to the worldwide economic recession, so do attitudes toward immigrants, seen by many analysts as the scapegoats of the current situation. Of course, there are differences between North America and Europe in regards to immigration during the downturn, but there are nonetheless general attitudes that apply globally.
Less Tolerance in Host Countries
At a time when economic security is questioned all over the world, immigrants will likely be considered as even a bigger menace to citizens in regards to the labor market and the welfare provisions especially because public budgets are extremely tight. Economists Timothy Hatton and Jeffrey G. Williamson show in their study that economic crises are usually fueling anti-immigrant policies. Currently, economic security has been placed at the same level with state/personal security, which makes immigrants more likely to face two separate levels of opposition. Consequently, gaining access has become even harder.
OECD: Immigrants More Vulnerable during the Recession
The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) recently reported that immigrants are facing a higher level of exclusion as the unemployment rate rises and the national economies face a difficult long-term recovery. The same report found that immigrants are more likely to be hurt by the recession because they are poorly represented in the very sectors they helped develop worldwide: construction, manufacturing and retail. Governments are urged to be extremely careful with their immigration strategies during the economic crisis, which, if poorly implemented, can hurt the long-term goals of their economies: "Governments need to be vigilant, to ensure that deteriorating immigrant labour market outcomes do not mortgage the possibility of further migration when growth resumes", the report says.
How Will Immigrants Respond to the Economic Downturn?
According to a report published by the Migration Policy Institute, it is expected that immigrants will respond differently to the current economic situation depending on the category they belong to. Most likely, if immigration is labor related, the downturn will produce high number of returns in the sectors that have been affected the most. At the same time, if the conditions in the host country worsen and become aligned to the home country, many immigrants will prefer to go back and reunite with their families in the absence of financial advantages. Family reunification will be impacted in the sense that the decision to permanently settle will be reconsidered only if economic conditions become critical in the host country. Unless the conditions are worse in the host country than in the home country, family reunification and permanent decisions to remain will not be affected. Generally speaking, immigrants will leave or stay depending on their family links, job security and strong social/cultural ties with the host country.
According to the same source, humanitarian immigration (refugees/asylum seekers) is unlikely to be affected by the economic crisis, as their access is not entirely based on economic reasons. On the other had, the flow of international students is probably going to decrease due to less family savings and a higher degree of uncertainty concerning the ability to repay student loans.
International migration is an extremely complex phenomenon that depends on a multitude of political, social, cultural and economic factors. Each of these factors can determine the level of immigration at certain moments in time. However, it seems that the current recession has brought about enormous public fears that result from the combination of all these factors.
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