Immigration-Trade Links: The Impact of Recent Immigration on Portuguese Trade

This study analyzes Portuguese immigration during the period 1995-2006 and estimates the effects of an increase in the stock of immigrants and of the increased percentage of highly-skilled immigrants employed in manufacturing industry. Furthermore, the effects are estimated of immigrant entrepreneurs active in manufacturing industry on Portugal’s bilateral trade with 38 countries. The latter group includes, in addition to the member-countries of the EU27, five African countries with Portuguese as their official language, and known as PALOPs. In 2006, these two blocs combined accounted for 83% of Portugal’s trade in goods and 89% of its immigrant stock. Panel data is used to conduct an econometric analysis. The study finds that a 10% increase in the immigrant stock will produce the following effects on Portugal’s bilateral trade with these countries: an increase of 2.8% in exports, an increase of 2.66% in imports, an increase of 1.87% in IIT, an increase of 4.01% in HIIT and an increase of 1.48% in VIIT. In addition, we conclude that higher percentages both of highly skilled immigrant workers and immigrant employers in manufacturing industry have a positive effect on exports, IIT and VIIT Key words: Immigration; trade; skills; entrepreneurship; panel data; Portugal

International firms, national managers: the obstacles to migration of highly skilled labour in transnational corporations

Paper presented to ESRI Thematic Research Workshop on Economic Actors, National Systems and International Contexts, September 21-24, 1999, Copenhagen, Denmark (draft version)It is a widely known phenomenon that labour is one of the less mobile factors of production. National and cultural differences among populations, the ever-present risks of migration (the rupture with local ties, both the personal and the job-related ones) and political resistance to mobility (more acute, at present, from the receiving societies) are the most cited reasons for the inertia of labour movements. We must admit that this kind of constraints seems to apply mainly to low and medium skilled workers, which represent the most important groups of international migrants nowadays. We could argue that, by contrast, the highly skilled segments can be exempted fromthis resistance, and constitute the most mobile portion of the labour force. If we consider, particularly, those moving within the framework of transnational corporations, their relatively scarce skills, particular condition in face of the labour markets (organisational careers), and the fact that they represent not only themselves but also the capital flows to which they are associated, suggest its greater fluidity in migration terms. In reality, the number of highly skilled migrants moving within the organisational structure of transnational corporations is still very low. As a result, the proportion of "national" staff continues to be dominant in local branches of transnational corporations. The clear trend to growth that indeed exists is faced with a number of powerful obstacles to mobility. These cover a wide array of variables: economic and financial, political and juridical, social and cultural, labour markets related or individual and familial ones. The most important increase in mobility thus seems to happen with business travels (short-term) and not with the classical migrant (long-term) flows.Research project on the "Migration of Highly Skilled Workers in Portugal". Project support provided by the JNICT (the current Foundation for Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology) and the DGOT (Department for Territorial Planning, Ministry of Territorial Planning), which conceded a grant for the entire project (PDGT/QRH/392/94

Migrants trafficking and individual strategies: the formation of dynamic channels in international migration

In this paper, a discussion of the current modalities of migrants trafficking will be made, taking into account the vast expression that it acquires and its extremely dynamic character. The main empirical base is a recent research project carried out in Portugal, which considered both labour and sexual exploitation related flows. The underlying claim is that it is the conjunction of individual aspirations for migration, stringent migration policies and organised intermediary agents that lead to the surge of dynamic modalities for channelling flows. The fact that each agent actively interacts with the others explains the continuing changes in the process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The international mobility of highly skilled workers in transnational corporations: the macro and macro factors of the organizational migration of cadres

The worldwide movement of highly skilled workers (cadres) in transnational corporations has long been known to literature in the field, yet has not been thoroughly researched. The mechanisms governing their international circulation are, in themselves, somewhat specific. The fact that they use an organizational “channel” for migration means that the constraints differ from those that act on “independent” economic migrants with either low or high levels of skill (the so-called brain drain). This article focuses on some of the manifestations of this mobility. Its dependence on a set of variables can be considerable: the firm’s development phase, investment target choice, leading activity (manufacturing or services), form of technology, type of firm (using greenfield or brownfield investment), whether a firm acquired is healthy or undergoing an economic crisis, and nationality or corporate culture. The occupational insertion of cadres leads to further constraints: while the strictly ‘technical” assignments generally stem from skill shortages, the general “management” appointments mainly result from questions arising from control and trust. As a whole, the flows of highly skilled workers seem to be related to multiple variables - either social, organizational or individual - which make it difficult to predict future trends.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A socio-political view of international migration from Latin America and the Caribbean: the case of Europe

In this paper, reference will be made to all Latin American and Caribbean inflows to Europe and its social and political impacts, but attention will be mainly driven to migration into Southern Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal and Italy. Topics to be explored include the factors, economic and other, explaining recent immigration; the economic incorporation of immigrants; the social framework of flows, including reactions from local populations to immigrants; and the tentative and multiple policy responses to immigration, focussing when possible on the Latin American and Caribbean inflow. The fragile balance between a demographic and an economic need for immigration, and a social and political mostly defensive reaction, will be highlighted, as well as some probable trends in the field.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Migración y cambio social: efectos y retos de la inmigración en Europa del Sur

In this paper, some theoretical considerations are made regarding the relationship between migration and social change. It is argued that migration combine a trivial and a radical character, since it is at the same time common and disturbing in personal and societal terms. Next, the recent experience of the Southern European countries, namely Spain, Italy and Portugal, is recalled. Some figures about recent international immigration to these countries are presented, displaying the main patterns of foreign inflows. Finally, some reflections are made about the impacts and challenges deriving from international migration in Southern Europe. In some aspects, inflows adapt and reinforce traditional structures already existing in those contexts. In other aspects, they produce entirely new traits, and announce the shape of the world to come.Este artículo plantea consideraciones teóricas sobre la relación entre migraciones y cambio social. Se expone que las migraciones combinan características banales y radicales, ya que son al mismo tiempo comunes e inquietantes en términos personales y sociales. Más adelante muestra la experiencia reciente de los países del sur de Europa, en concreto España, Italia y Portugal. Se presentan algunas cifras sobre la inmigración internacional reciente hacia estos países, que muestran los patrones generales de entradas extranjeras. Finalmente, se reflexiona sobre el impacto y los retos derivados de la migración internacional en el sur de Europa. En algunos aspectos las entradas se adaptan y refuerzan estructuras tradicionales ya existentes en esos contextos. En otros sentidos producen características completamente nuevas y anuncian la forma del mundo del futuro

Migration and policies in the European Union: Highly skilled mobility, free movement of labour and recognition of diplomas

This article evaluates the relationship between highly skilled mobility (especially by individuals with university-level degrees) and migration policies. Data from the European Union (EU) and Portugal (in particular) provide the empirical basis of the research. EU policies regarding the free circulation of individuals which aim to build the “common market” for economic factors (including labour) are reviewed, as are the more specific recognition of diplomas policies for professional and academic purposes, and recent levels of international mobility in both the EU and Portugal. The article also enumerates the main obstacles that, from a political and legal or social and cultural perspective, explain the low mobility revealed by those figures. Obstacles include the broad denial of citizenship rights; the necessity of assuring a means of sustenance; linguistic and technical exigencies for diploma recognition; the social attributes of work (more explicit in the service sector); and the institutional nature of national skilled labour markets. The main exception to the low mobility rule – movements of cadres in the internal labour markets of transnational corporations – together with flows in other multinational organizations, are also reviewed. In these, migrations are relatively exempt from political constraints and, significantly, avoid the recognition procedures adopted by the EU. In other words, it seems that the entry of highly skilled individuals in a transnational corporation, and not their citizenship in a Europe without frontiers, is what enables them to achieve effective mobility.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Back to the South: Social and political aspects of Latin American migration to Southern Europe

When migration from the Latin American and Caribbean countries to Europe is studied, a preferential stream can be noted towards southern Europe. There would also appear to have been a remarkable growth in the volume of flows in this direction in recent years. The flows themselves vary: in the case of Spain, nationals from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Argentina predominate; Portugal is the recipient of Brazilians; and Italy mainly plays host to nationals from Peru and Ecuador. These flows reveal the importance of various factors: economic push and pull mechanisms; the former presence in the region of Spain and Portugal as erstwhile colonial powers; the earlier waves of emigrants in that direction from Spain, Portugal and Italy; a relatively more favourable social reception; and political initiatives that favour the new sending countries. In other words, economic gaps, former historical links, cultural and linguistic affinities, family ties and diplomatic channels suggest that a special route exists for migrants from Latin America. The topics that will be expanded upon in this paper include the factors explaining recent immigration to southern Europe; the economic incorporation of immigrants; the social framework of flows, including reactions from local populations; and the tentative and multiple policy responses to immigration. Conclusions indicate that the potential for movements from Latin America, resulting from both previous and current links, has proved to be a favourable response to the need for immigrant workers in the case of southern European societies. Despite the familiar path (albeit in the reverse direction), the economic incorporation of immigrants has mainly occurred in the low-ranking jobs, as was the case with other inflows. This stemmed from market needs, state failures and the importance of the family. However, given the numerous links between Latin America and southern Europe, the social and policy responses adopted towards these immigrants seem to have been more beneficial than towards other groups.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New migrations in Portugal: Labour markets, smuggling and gender segmentation

In the last three decades, Portugal has undergone deep changes regarding international migration. Firstly, it has become an important receiver of foreign international migrants from Africa, namely the ones coming from the ex-colonies, now independent countries. Secondly, it witnessed a growing presence of Brazilians, which turned from a narrow middle-high class group of immigrants, to a very large number of middle-low and low class immigrants. Thirdly, it observed a progressive diversification of national origins, mainly represented by the recent and vast Eastern European community, but also visible in dozens of other growing foreign nationalities. In this paper, the focus will be on the role played by labour markets in the growth of new migrations, particularly in what is linked to the importance of smuggling and gender segmentation. Regarding smuggling, the strong recent expansion of the Portuguese economy, accompanied by frequent informal relationships in the labour market, largely explain the surge in the number of immigrants. These migrants often entered the country in an irregular way, using the services of smugglers and traffickers, and performing the bottom jobs of the professional ladder. Given the demand for a flexible labour force and the government’s restrictive immigration policy, the objective needs of the labour market were often met by irregular channels of migration. Gender was also a part of the process, since the segmentation of the labour market was increasingly based on ethnic and gender lines. The growth of female related jobs, from domestic and industrial cleaning to caring, and including the sex industry, explained why gendered avenues were built for labour immigration. Although most of the recent labour cycles were dominated by male workers, an increasing fraction was composed of women. Except for the case of trafficking, where exploitation is persistent, women may have acquired in this immigration process an increased but problematic autonomy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Back to the South: Social and Political aspects of Latin American Migration to Southern Europe

When migration from the Latin American and Caribbean countries to Europe is studied, a preferential stream can be noted towards southern Europe. There would also appear to have been a remarkable growth in the volume of flows in this direction in recent years. The flows themselves vary: in the case of Spain, nationals from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Argentina predominate; Portugal is the recipient of Brazilians; and Italy mainly plays host to nationals from Peru and Ecuador. These flows reveal the importance of various factors: economic push and pull mechanisms; the former presence in the region of Spain and Portugal as erstwhile colonial powers; the earlier waves of emigrants in that direction from Spain, Portugal and Italy; a relatively more favourable social reception; and political initiatives that favour the new sending countries. In other words, economic gaps, former historical links, cultural and linguistic affinities, family ties and diplomatic channels suggest that a special route exists for migrants from Latin America. The topics that will be expanded upon in this paper include the factors explaining recent immigration to southern Europe; the economic incorporation of immigrants; the social framework of flows, including reactions from local populations; and the tentative and multiple policy responses to immigration. Conclusions indicate that the potential for movements from Latin America, resulting from both previous and current links, has proved to be a favourable response to the need for immigrant workers in the case of southern European societies. Despite the familiar path (albeit in the reverse direction), the economic incorporation of immigrants has mainly occurred in the low-ranking jobs, as was the case with other inflows. This stemmed from market needs, state failures and the importance of the family. However, given the numerous links between Latin America and southern Europe, the social and policy responses adopted towards these immigrants seem to have been more beneficial than towards other groupsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio