Economic Migration on Global Interactions (HL IB Geography)

Controls & Rules

• A political factor that affects global interaction are the rules and controls around economic migration

• An economic migrant is someone who moves from one region to another for work and a better standard of living

• Globalisation has encouraged the flow of migrants around the world, which is important to the global economy

  • In 1970, approximately 90 million people were living in a country they weren’t born in

  • In 1990, that figure had increased to approximately 153 million

  • In 2020, it was estimated to be 281 million

• The main trends in international migration are:

  • Migration is more global; people are moving greater distances than ever before from a wider pool of countries

  • Migration is accelerating; the number of migrants is rising in all regions

  • Migration is more diverse; there are more types of migrants, including permanent migrants, refugees, skilled workers, trafficked and forced people, retirees, etc.

  • Female migration has steadily increased; the UN estimates that approximately 50% of all international migrants are women. The majority of them migrate in their own right and voluntarily

• Migration increases global interdependence and governments face challenges in providing for migrants and refugees

• This has resulted in disagreements over whether migration has an overall positive or negative impact on the receiving or host country

• Furthermore, increasing globalisation and the combination of migrants make it hard for governments to restrict migration

  • Shifts in manufacturing jobs from highly developed, high-wage economies to less developed, lower-wage-paying economies has increased the demand for workers

• Many countries have attempted to restrict migrants, which varies between countries depending on migration policies and levels of global economic engagement

  • Singapore encourages international migration

  • Australia and New Zealand have barriers in place

• Overall, migration is important for the growth of an economy

• In the USA, economic prosperity is linked with the country's ability to attract skilled and unskilled migrants

• In Japan, due to the ageing population, migrants are needed to increase the size of the working population

• However, many people and countries still want to control migration

Case Study: Management of Migration

UK's management of immigration since 1950

• After the end of the Second World War, there was a serious shortage of labour to help rebuild the country 

• The UK encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries, particularly British colonies of the Caribbean, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

• By 1971, over a million people had migrated from Commonwealth countries and the UK implemented controls to reduce the number of future migrant arrivals

• By the 1990s, the UK found itself short of labour once again

• With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, there was an influx of people looking for work and a decent wage

• When the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU in 2004, many people from these countries made their way to the UK

• Initially, very few of these migrants intended to remain in the UK, they intended to return home after they had made enough money

• Many of these migrants were young (aged between 18 and 34 years) and half came from Poland 

• During the 2009 recession, job opportunities began drying up and many Eastern Europeans returned home

• Free movement within the EU meant that the UK had no control over their borders

• Many UK nationals began blaming these economic migrants for taking their jobs and abusing the UK's benefits system

• With net immigration running at 300 000 a year, the control of immigration was one of the key issues in the UK's Referendum to leave the EU in 2016

• However, critics ignore the fact that:

  • Migrants contribute to the economy through paid taxes and do the jobs others don't want

  • Many migrants are employed in low-paid, menial jobs such as factories, hotels, farming and care homes

  • Migrants may have a strong work ethic, which benefits employers, although some employers exploit this

  • Less than 5% of economic migrants receive any form of state benefit

• Today the UK operates a points-based system

• People are awarded points depending on their skills, previous income and age

• This system gives some people visas to allow them entry into the UK for work or study

Mexico/US border

• Between 1900 and 1920, 24 million new arrivals were registered due to the 'open door' policy of that time

• Subsequently, migration restrictions have been introduced, with the US Green Card becoming harder to obtain

• Now, there are approximately 40 million non-US-born citizens, with many more undocumented, illegal migrants

• In recent years, the number of Mexicans leaving the United States has been greater than inward migration, even though the country remains the top destination for Mexican emigrants

  • Due in part to increased immigration enforcement and to a strengthening Mexican economy

• Since 2013, Mexico stopped being the top country of origin to the United States, overtaken by India and China

• In fact, most migrants into the US, are more likely to be college graduates, than field workers of prior decades

• Despite the agreement on free trade between Mexico, the USA and Canada, their immigration policies are not equal and the dispute along the US and Mexican border is ongoing

Gains and Losses for Mexico

Gains and Losses for USA