MAIN TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION

The analysis of the main trends in international migration is presented in four

sections. The first looks at changes in migration movements and in the foreign
population of OECD Member countries. The second section considers the position of
immigrants and foreigners in the labour market. The following section focuses on
two regions, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. Finally, an overview of migration
policies is provided. It reviews policies to regulate and control flows and the whole
range of measures to promote the integration of immigrants in host countries. It
also describes recent moves to enhance co-operation between host countries and
countries of origin in the spheres of migration and development. A. MIGRATION AND
POPULATION TRENDS Since the mid-1990s, there has been a gradual upturn in
migration flows in most OECD Member countries. Owing to regional conflicts, but
also to the restrictions placed on other immigration channels, the number of asylum
seekers and refugees has risen substantially, particularly in some European
countries. Immigration for employment reasons, permanent but in particular
temporary, also increased sharply in 1999-2000 in response to economic trends in
Member countries and the resulting labour shortages in certain sectors.
Nevertheless, immigration for family reasons continues to predominate, especially
in the longer-standing countries of immigration. Lastly, the persistence of illegal
migration, the volume of which is by definition impossible to determine, indicates
clearly the difficulties that host and origin countries are encountering in their
attempts to control migration flows. Immigration plays a significant role in the
annual population growth of certain OECD countries. They have a high proportion of
foreign births in total births, and the foreign or foreign-born population is growing
and diversifying. The importance of migration inflows is sometimes emphasised in
connection with the ageing of the population. Without denying their potential
contribution to reducing demographic imbalances, their impact in this regard should
not be overestimated. 1. Trends in migration movements and changes in the foreign
population Although the 1980s were characterised by an increase in immigration
flows in most OECD countries, a substantial decline in the number of entries was
perceptible by 1992-93. This downturn continued until 1997-98, after which
immigration started to rise again, particularly in Europe and Japan. Over the entire
period 1980-99, there was also a diversification of migration movements and an
increase in the range of nationalities involved, although the traditional flows and
regional movements persisted. The volume of the foreign population shows a trend
similar to that for flows. There is a trend increase in numbers, together with a wider
range of countries of origin and greater heterogeneity in demographic terms. a)
Upward but contrasting migration trends During the 1980s and above all at the
beginning of the 1990s, inflows increased in almost all OECD countries (see Chart
I.1). This trend peaked in 1992- 93 for the main immigration countries such as
Canada, Germany, Japan and the United States, while in others, notably Australia
and the United Kingdom, the peak had come earlier. Since then, as the result of
restrictions, the flows of legal entries have fallen sharply. In 1999 they represented
around three-quarters of the volume of entries reported for all European Union
countries in 1992 and for North America in 1993. The left-hand side of Chart I.1

presents the post-1980 time-series for foreign migrant inflows. The host countries
are divided into four groups in