Special edition: The Labour Migrant

Migration triggers heated emotions. Some say we desperately need (more) labour migrants to meet the demographic challenges we are bound to face in the years ahead. Others argue that labour migrants take ‘our’ jobs and threaten Europe’s national welfare states. All these conflicting perspectives obstruct the development of sensible labour migration policies.

‘The Labour Migrant 2011′, a special edition newspaper published by HIT Foundation, presents the lessons and recommendations from the pilot circular migration -Blue Birds- as well as a broad range of views on issue; including:

• (Wannabe) labour migrants, who want to earn and learn;
• Employers and intermediairies such as Randstad, OTTO Workforce and Philips, who need labour migrants to stay competitive;
• Lucia van Westerlaak from Dutch labour union FNV, who argues for strict conditions and a rational debate; and
• EU commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström, who pleads for a common approach by the European Union and its member states together.

Download The Labour Migrant 2011 or order a free hard copy by sending us an email with the subject: ‘the Labour Migrant’, including your name, organisation and postal address.

Final report Pilot Circular Migration

One problem is the fact that the definition of ʻsensibleʼ depends on oneʼs perspective. Employers, migrants, politicians and citizens in both receiving and sending countries hold diametrically opposed opinions. This applies particularly in the case of uneducated and skilled labour migrants (as supposed to higher educated professionals). Future research must show whether it is possible to reduce tension between the views of the various stakeholders.

Lessons & recommendations
The final report: “Towards sensible labour migration policies”, shares the lessons of the Dutch pilot on circular migration and offers a perspective on how to move towards creating sensible labour migration policies.

On June 1 the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, decided to prematurely terminate the pilot circular migration Blue Birds. The pilot is stopped because there is insufficient support to resolve complications in the implementation.

As administrator of the pilot HIT Foundation regrets that this unique and innovative research project is discontinued prematurely. The opportunity to make serious and necessary progress in the field of (labour) migration is seriously undermined through this decision.

Currently, HIT Foundation is working in close consultation with the ministry to properly finalize all pending matters relating to the pilot. This concerns both current procedures with migrants and employers, the financial settlement and the final report. Although the pilot was discontinued prematurely, there are important lessons learned that can serve as input for new actions in the future.

Because migration is one of the major social issues in the coming years, HIT is investigating, together with stakeholders in the field, how the issue can be kept on the agenda. In the interests of the Netherlands (and Europe), where in just a few years we’ll have a shortage of skilled labor, and in the interests of migrants and the countries they come from.

Date Nightingales Future Search known

The Nightingales Future Search will take place from November 2nd till 4th. The Future Search is a working conference of 64 Limburg leaders with the aim of accelerating the socio-economic developments in South Limburg in relation to its border regions.

Read more about the Nightingales Future Search (Dutch only).

This week, Hein de Haas, Senior Research Fellow at the International Migration Institute of the University of Oxford, spoke of the ‘deep fears and high hopes’ that run through the migration and development debate.

According to De Haas views on migration have shifted from optimism about ‘brain gain’ in the years after the second World War, to ‘brain gain’ pessimism in the ’70s and 80s, to again more positive views over the last decade. De Haas notices however that there is little empirical evidence to underpin these sentiments. He is therefor sceptical about the forced link between migration and development. “Development is after all the responsibility of states not of migrants,” he states.

On the other hand, De Haas is positive about the impact that can have on individuals. De Haas: “Migration, if successful, increases the capabilities of migrants and their families to invest.” He also notes that obstacles for migration do not necessarily stop migrants from coming. On the contrary, increasing restrictions have pushed migrants into more permanent settlements.

Da Haas pleads to create adequate mechanisms for labour migration, not only for so called knowledge migrants, but also for medium skilled labour. These are the people that will be needed in Europe in the years to come.

De Haas gave his lecture as part of the 2010-2011 Society for International Development Lecture Series, ‘Global Values in a Changing World’.

Download the full report of the lecture.

Dialogue Report

On Monday, February 21 a small group of Limburg leaders met in the Groote Sociëteit in Maastricht to talk about the Nightingales Future Search. They jointly decided to investigate at short notice whether and how the Task Force South Limburg and the Future Search can be braided together. Proposal is to let the Nightingales strategy be leading in the Task Force.

The meeting was the continuation of the Nightingales Dialogues meeting that took place on January 7 in the Glaspaleis in Heerlen.

Connections

• The common thread that ran through the discussion was the importance for Limburg to connect sectors and ideas in practice: “There is abundant vision. We must now find the connections and get to work. The region is economically lagging behind.” “The idea of the Future Search is great if it connects ideas.”
• It was clearly pointed out that youth and culture can not be ignored in this process: “We [the youth] want to co-create, or we will leave Limburg. The Nightingales process gives us room to participate.”
• It also became clear that there is a tension between Brainport 2020 and the Task Force: “There is no common agenda.”
• The Future Search is seen as a creative process that could break the compartmentalization: “Let us realize that this approach is meant to offset administrative deadlock, by involving people that can think creatively and out-of-the-box.”

Actions
The leaders collectively decided that on short notice and in consultation with the Province, they will investigate whether the Task Force and Nightingales can be braided together. Simultaneously the team will explore with Boer & Croon how the two initiatives can reinforce each other.

Limburg leaders
The attendees represent the crucial segments from the Limburg socio-economic system: Hans Balmaekers (youth), Sjraar Cox (government), Ger Peeters (living), Guy Peeters (care), Jos Schneiders: chair (large companies) and Jeroen Trienes (SMEs). Attendees on behalf of the Task Force South Limburg were: Hein Schreuder (Education) and Luc Soete (Economy). Frans Bastiaens (HIT Foundation), Hans Keijzer and Han Rakels (Perspectivity) were present on behalf of the Nightingales initiative. André Postema (education) and Guido Wevers (culture) could not attend.

Nightingales is an initiative of HIT Foundation, innovation platform for labour and migration. The Nightingales scenarios give insight into the key uncertainties that affect the future of Limburg and in the socio-economic system that drives the region. The scenarios were drafted under guidance of Professor Kees van der Heijden (Shell, Oxford University). For the Nightingales Dialogues the team cooperates with Perspectivity. expertise dialogue centre aimed at solving complex social problems. The Nightingales Dialogues are subsidized by the Province of Limburg.

Friday, 7 January twenty Limburg leaders met in the Glass Palace in Heerlen. The 20 leaders represented eight key clusters of Limburgs’ socioeconomic system. Goal of the meeting: Explore ways to bring about an effective and inspiring movement for the success of the region.

The Nightingales Dialogues build on the insights acquired through the Nightingales Scenarios, developed in 2009. The meeting gave regional stakeholders a chance to get acquainted with scenario and systemic thinking through interactive sessions and to learn about the Future Search philosophy. At the end of the morning the group decided together that a small committee will meet on short notice to further discuss the details of a Future Search Nightingales. The meeting is scheduled for February 21.

The leaders represent 8 crucial clusters in Limburgs socioeconomic system: large industry & SMEs, cultural entrepreneurs & young professionals, education & government and healthcare & housing. Nightingales is an initiative of HIT Foundation in collaboration with Perspectivity, expertise dialogue network aimed at solving complex social problems.

Read more (Dutch only):

• Report of the meeting in the Glass Palace
• Dialogues Participants
• Presentation: The Future Search philosophy
• Nightingales Dialogues

From the Euregion and overseas

“Opening up the border for talented foreigners is a matter of enlightened self-interest.” That is the vision of Wil Houben, in daily life director of the Chamber of Commerce in Limburg and in his spare time chairman of the HIT Foundation.

In his column in the Limburger of this past Saturday, commentator Peter Kamps, describes Houben as one of the advocates of immigration politics. Together Léon Frissen, the outgoing governor. Houben believes that there three things needed to ensure that we continue to have sufficient “execution talent” in the region. Mobilize the unemployed, prevent early school leavers and open up the borders to workers from the Euregion and overseas.

Read the column by Peter Kamps in De Limburger (Dutch only)
Read the column by Wim Ortjens op zuidlimburg.nl (Dutch only)