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Recent Southern European migration is characterised by important flows of higher-skilled young persons. The balance between the risk of a new brain drain and brain waste and the opportunity of brain gain depends on how the young migrants integrate into the labour market of destination, the new abilities they acquire and the possibilities of re-integrating into the labour market of origin, in case of return migration. In this paper we discuss the contribution of international youth mobility to the development of human capital. We focus on the individual gain in origin countries/regions generated by circulation and return and concentrate on total human capital. Our results – based on 120 in-depth interviews conducted in Italy and Spain, in both core (Rome and Madrid) and peripheral (Apennines and Andalusia) areas, with young students and lower- and higher-skilled workers – show that both Italians and Spaniards have acquired soft skills and these informal and tacit competences are considered to be as important as formal and explicit ones. For young Italians, brain circulation predominates and the human capital gained during migration results in better employability and earnings; for young Spaniards, circulation and return are more difficult in spite of their enriched human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current literature on international migration has focused mainly on flows from the South to the North of the global system. Recently, however, flows from more developed countries have also gained scholarly attention. In this context, the recent wave of migration from Italy may be of particular interest for several reasons. Research already conducted on these issues has shown that the recent upswing in Italian emigration is not solely due to and a sign of the growing integration of Italian society into the global system. It is also one of the consequences of a series of important social and cultural transformations, ranging from Italy's changing position in the international division of labor to the individual search for a better quality of life. In this article, we will draw on the results of some research on Italian emigrants in three major urban centers - Athens, Madrid and Bogota - to identify the factors and mechanisms that trigger these new migration paths. Although each of the research works was conducted independently, using qualitative techniques of social analysis, particularly through semi-structured interviews, we believe that a comparison of the results obtained in these three research experiences may be useful in clarifying the rapidly evolving picture of the new Italian emigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an exploratory research, this paper aims to gain in depth information on Moldovan migrants in Romania across different generations. It focuses on changes in migrants' aspirations over time and how historical context influences coping strategies. The study compares behavior and experiences of earlier Post-Socialist migrants (pioneer migrants) with recent young migrants in Iasi and Bucharest. Results indicate evolving aspirations and reduced integration barriers, with recent migrants benefiting from technological progress and easier access to Romanian citizenship, facilitating faster integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In critical social research the concept of employability is associated with the neoliberal imperative that every individual should become a self-responsible, self-improving and enterprising subject in the increasingly precarious labour markets. Despite the prominence of employability in policies governing young people's intra-European migration, few studies examine migrants' subjectivities in this context. Building on narrative data, this article adds to our understanding on how neoliberal subject formations function as an instrument for governing young EU migrants' lives in conditions of precarious labour. Central to this understanding, it develops the concept of passion to depict young migrants' quest for obtaining work with opportunities for self-development and self-realisation. This concept contributes to the study of highly qualified intra-EU migration by allowing critical analysis of meanings given to mobility in relation to work; by highlighting dynamics of (self-)precarisation in this context; and by advancing debates on social-structural inequality among EU migrants pursuing their quest for passion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International student mobility has been rising as a global phenomenon in the last few decades, while its impact could be various in different contexts. For the European Union (EU), studying in another EU member country could be regarded as an important factor for the solidarity and integrity of the Union. The current study elaborates on the role of studying abroad regarding the attitudes of people toward immigration in the EU. It shows that people who are studying in an EU member country, belonging to higher social classes and from EU15 countries, are more likely to have positive attitudes toward immigration. But after controlling several socio-demographic variables studying abroad still contributes positively to the attitudes of EU citizens toward immigration. Accordingly, current study provides promising pieces of evidence on the social contribution of studying abroad for both future research and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article extends understandings of circular migration among young migrants (aged 16–35) by focusing on the two key concepts of human capital and life satisfaction. Drawing on a large-scale quantitative primary data set, the YMOBILITY survey, key skills and competencies that facilitate circular migration are identified. It is widely assumed that achieving higher levels of subjective well-being is a primary motivational factor behind migratory decisions. However, there is little conclusive evidence to suggest that migration and mobility lead to increased levels of happiness. We argue that tacit competencies, defined as skills, ideas and experiences that people have but are not codified, are especially valued by circular migrants as facilitators of multiple migratory processes and are of importance to levels of life-satisfaction among young circular migrants. In order to assess circular migration as a life-strategy, the relationship between human capital outcomes and levels of life satisfaction among circular migrants is examined. Our analysis identifies important disparities in human capital and life satisfaction outcomes according to socio-economic and geographic background. It offers insight into the significance of life-course effects on the levels of life-satisfaction among young circular migrants and suggests new theoretical approaches to the study of contemporary migration in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Italy and Spain are two countries with important migration traditions, yet very little research has been done on movements between these two Southern European countries. In this paper, the main research question concerns the determinants of migration and, in some cases, return of young Italians and Spaniards. Based on an analysis of the transcripts of 69 in-depth interviews, we survey migrants' motivations and expectations, their economic and social integration and their future plans, and thereby attempt to understand the specific features of this 'horizontal' mobility. The research results find little weight for a purely economic rationale behind the choice of Italians and Spaniards to move to the other country. What seems to be important are two factors acting in combination: (a) the 'affinity factor' between the two countries, including the relative ease of learning the language, the consequent frequency and intensity of contact with members of the host population, and the result therefore of 'feeling comfortable' during their stay abroad; (b) the lubricating effect of free movement. However, the migration relationship between the two countries is not fully reciprocal and there is one major element of asymmetry. Although experiences of social and cultural integration are positive in both cases, differences in the socio-economic context, especially the labour market and cost of living, help to explain the imbalance in the two-way flows, including returns, which is positive for Spain and negative for Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses findings from a qualitative study conducted for my MPhil dissertation. It draws on the views and experiences of Romanian citizens living in the UK collected before the June 23rd UK referendum on ending EU membership. It addresses two aspects from my this is which are highly relevant to the topical Brexit debates: on the one hand, what kinds of discriminatory experiences Romanians faced in the receiving society and on the other hand, how Romanian migrants perceived the British. For the purpose of this short paper, the empirical data is illustrated in the form of two case studies the stories of Avram and Medeea, which include dominant themes on both aspects. Overall, the paper presents an apparent contradictory discourse and reflects on its potential explanations. While condemning negative attitudes towards them in the UK, Romanians showed their own negative attitudes towards the British (and 'others' in general). They frequently embraced the very stereotypes about fellow Romanian migrants, which they vocally condemned in other instances. A class dimension to stereotypes emerges throughout the discussion. The paper is open-ended and the conclusion reflects on how the UK's decision to leave the EU can add complexity to the presented findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]