Migration in MENA region

Migration within and out of the Middle East and North Africa has a long history:

·       In the 1960s: Western and Northern European countries actively recruited Maghreb workers for their expanding economies. Then, migration to Europe took increasingly the purposes of family reunification and formation, undocumented migration.

·       In the 1970s: The booming oil economies in the Gulf absorbed a large pool of skilled and unskilled manpower. Middle Eastern workers have faced increased competition from national and Asian workers.

MENA migrants have brought important benefits to home and host countries:

·       Formal remittances income accounts for between five and 20 percent of GNP in some of the main MENA migration countries.

·       Jobs abroad (in the OECD and Gulf) are equivalent to 6-7% of total employment at home.

·       The impact on technology flows, innovation, education and investment of an active diaspora and returning migrants is potentially significant.

·       Migrants have contributed considerably to economic growth in the “new” receiving countries, such as Spain.

More data (PDF)

Yet outcomes are still disappointing relative to the potential:

·       Irregular migration from the MENA region is high and possibly increasing (poor living and working conditions, substantial health and income risks, and social marginalization of migrant workers).

·       Second generation immigrants in Europe generally do much worse on labor markets than their national peers (less likely to be employed in occupations corresponding to their level of education).

·       Social and political tension around immigration and integration issues is rising in a number of countries.

·       Educated workers leave for foreign shores, potentially draining the country concerned of skills.

Migration is not a panacea:

The region needs to create nearly five million jobs per year up until 2020 to face the growing labor force, and unemployment rates among the young and educated remain excessively high.

Many of the policy actions and institutional reforms that will be needed to stimulate global labor and jobs mobility (enhanced education, overall investment climate, financial system, public sector) are in tune with those needed to foster private sector job creation.

In the right circumstances, the Middle East and North Africa could attract significant job creation, especially in business services:

·       The region’s strengths include its geographical, cultural and linguistic ties to Europe, its stable investment climate, despite weaknesses in the business environment.

·       High illiteracy rates, and unreformed education systems favoring social sciences over physical sciences, technical/engineering skills, or business services, keep MENA uncompetitive compared to other regions.