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This paper looks at changes in migration policies as a response to the 2008 financial and economic crisis and at governance issues. Countries in Europe opted to make new immigration more difficult, protect labour markets for native-born workers, clamp down on migrants in irregular situations and encourage the return of migrant workers. Clear patterns or reasons for variation in policy responses are not discernible, but it is safe to say that only countries with a significant recent influx of migrants have taken high profile measures at all. The crisis has highlighted labour market issues, and migrants are now increasingly portrayed as economic agents instead of security threats. This offers room for the State to assert its protective role vis-à-vis of migrant workers. The analysis has an International Relations/Political Economy perspective and is largely based on (official) news releases and secondary sources.

In looking at skills and migration, this entry will focus on international labor migration, that is, migration that involves crossing a border and is for the purpose of employment. A skill is usually defined as the ability to do something well, and in the world of work distinctions are made between “highly skilled workers” and “workers with lesser skills” or “low-skilled workers.” Most international labor migration today takes place at the high and low ends of the job ladder, with managers and information technology specialists moving, as well as domestic helpers and construction workers. There is no agreed international definition of what is considered a “highly skilled worker.” Some scholars and official country statistics refer to those with postsecondary or tertiary education as highly skilled; others define a highly skilled worker as someone who earns a salary above a certain level; there are also mixed approaches as under the EU Blue Card program. Someone who is considered highly skilled in one country may only be regarded as a mid-level technician elsewhere, and the scarcity of skills in certain settings can impact on the definitions. Keywords: labor; labor supply; capitalism; political economy