Main area: Migration
Theme: Labour mobility
Assessment: ODA-eligible
Provider country: Austria
Recipient country: Europe, regional/multi-country
Implementing agency: OECD
Budget (EUR million): 0.2 (Austrian contribution)
Year(s): 2020-21
Purpose code: 15190
Case number: Migration / 15
Labour migration in the Western Balkans: mapping patterns, addressing challenges and reaping benefits
The lack of quality jobs and career prospects in their home economies fuelled emigration from the Western Balkans, predominantly to OECD countries. Continued high levels of labour emigration, especially of young talents, pose a severe development challenge for the region: potential investors do not find adequate skills on the labour market, which affects their investment decision. Domestic firms lack know-how to compete on global markets. High emigration, in particular among the youth, and little immigration has left an unfavourable age structure in the region. All the economies have an aging population, which has serious implications on their fragile health and social systems.
The project aims to contribute to achieving SDGs related to improve migration policies (Indicator 10.7.2. Number of countries with migration policies that facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people), in particular: 600 beneficiaries shall be reached with this study.
Well-coordinated and integrated policy approach to address main challenges of labour migration (emigration, remigration, circular migration) and to embed migration and diaspora strategies in the wider development strategies and structural reform agendas of the Western Balkans;
More favourable conditions to lower propensity of labour to leave their home country to seek jobs abroad and to encourage the diaspora to make contributions to develop their home countries;
Increased propensity to engage in circular migration and better re-integration of temporary migrants (esp. educational migrants) in the job market of the home countries;
Increased civic engagement of returnees.
The project will benefit governments and guide policy reform to achieve sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth with decent work conditions for all. For the labour migrants, it can support attaining better living and working conditions and support investment decisions in their home countries. For the academia, it can enrich research and debate. For the development co-operation community, it can help prioritise funding decisions. For the civil society, it can enhance:
Evidence based information for governments on the population’s patterns, root causes and considerations of interlinkages between policies and population’s behaviour regarding migration;
Better understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of temporary and permanent labour migration and country-specific policy recommendations on how to capitalise on human talent;
Gender-sensitive migration-related analysis and recommendations;
Policy recommendations how to navigate the Covid-19 effects on labour emigration.
This activity is deemed ODA-eligible. It targets developmental objectives by providing support to emigration societies (countries of origin) in the Western Balkans in order to improve the socio-economic conditions on site, and thereby lower the risk of unintended labour emigration. This project is conducted in developing countries and addresses their challenges related to labour migration. It complies with the principles for assessing the ODA-eligibility of migration-related activities e.g. Principle 4 (alignment with partner countries’ priorities) and Principle 5 (main benefit to ODA-eligible countries).
This work was approved and declassified by the Development Assistance Committee’s Working Party on Development Finance Statistics.
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