24.11.2021

THE PANDEMIC HAS LED TO CHANGES IN GLOBAL MOBILITY

The global quest to attract skilled foreigners, especially those in the category between manual labor and a doctorate in physics, is ongoing as the pandemic enters its third year. Many rich nations hope to attract these young workers with fast visas and promises of permanent residence, writes The New York Times.

The disturbances caused by Covid have revealed a demographic imbalance - rapidly aging rich nations are producing too few new workers, while countries with a surplus of young people often do not have enough work for all of them. New approaches to this mismatch could affect the global debate on immigration, especially as European governments differ on how to deal with new waves of asylum seekers.

"We hear the same thing everywhere," said Jean-Christophe Dumont, head of international migration research for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). "If you want to attract new workers, you have to offer them attractive conditions."

In Germany, a new Immigration Act offers accelerated work visas for qualified professionals and 6 months to visit and find work. Canada plans to grant the right of residence to 1.2 million new immigrants by 2023. And Israel recently finalized a deal to attract health workers from Nepal.

The pandemic has led to several major changes in global mobility. It slowed down labor migration. It has also created more competition for "digital nomads" as more than 30 nations have set up programs to attract mobile workers. And this has led to a general easing of work rules for foreigners who are already in the country.