According to the 2023 edition of the OECD's International Migration Outlook, the organization's member countries faced a wave that “reached unprecedented levels”, with more than 6 million new permanent immigrants.
For the second year in a row, migration flows are reaching “record levels, but not out of control”, according to the 2023 edition of the OECD International Migration Outlook.
In 2023, the 38 OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries recorded 6.5 million new “permanent” immigrants (including people with a residence permit and European nationals), an increase by 10% compared to 2022, an already unprecedented year.
According to the report, this trend could be explained “by the increase in admissions for humanitarian reasons (+ 20%) and the regulated immigration of foreign workers, accompanied by members of their families (+ 16%)”.
Around a third of OECD member countries experienced record levels of immigration, particularly the United Kingdom (747,000), but also Canada (472,000), France (298,000), Japan (155,000) and Switzerland (144,500). On the other hand, immigration has fallen in another third of the countries in the region, notably in Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Italy, Lithuania and New Zealand.
Work, record levels of integration
Labor migration has remained stable. However, the integration of immigrants into the labor market continues to reach unprecedented levels.
The upward trend in post-pandemic immigrant employment continued in 2023, with the OECD recording “historically high employment levels overall” at 71.8%. The highest employment rate is in New Zealand (82.3%) while it reaches 62.4% in France.
Ten countries, including Canada (75.8%), the United Kingdom (76.3%) and the United States (73.3%), as well as all 27 EU countries, recorded “the highest immigrant employment rates ever recorded.” “High demand for labor in receiving countries has been one of the main drivers of migration over the past two years,” explained OECD Director of Employment and Labor Stefano Scarpetta.
“In many OECD countries facing widespread labor shortages and looming demographic changes, increasing numbers of migrant workers have contributed to sustained economic growth,” he continues.
