International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Improving Access to Labour market Information for migrants and employers
20
qualifications and skills of migrant candidates, and the type of sector and occupation
in which difficult-to-fill vacancies were observed.
On the demand side, particular attention was devoted to the analysis of the
recruitment practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The definition
of SMEs adopted for the purposes of this study follows that in use by the European
Commission (DG Enterprise and Industry): “The category of micro, small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is made up of enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million,
and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.” 6
SMEs are the backbone of the EU economy, with 20.7 million firms accounting
for more than 98 per cent of all enterprises, of which the largely predominant share
(over 92%) are firms with fewer than ten employees. For 2012 it is estimated that
SMEs accounted for 67 per cent of total employment (corresponding to more than 87
million persons) and 58 per cent of gross value added in the EU (ECORYS, 2012).
However, SMEs are often confronted with labour market imperfections and face
challenges finding qualified labour to sustain and grow their business, even in times of
high unemployment. These challenges are largely related to their restricted resources,
which may reduce or distort access to labour market information, as a consequence
of limited access to new technologies and professional recruitment services, and
of inadequate human resources personnel in terms of both effectives and training.
Since access to labour market information in the case of labour matching through
migration, and particularly, through foreign recruitment, generally requires more
resources than those needed for domestic recruitment, one of the initial assumptions
of the study was that SMEs would face additional difficulties in hiring migrants.
Furthermore, unlike bigger firms, SMEs cannot rely on economies of scale, which
would partly offset the relative cost of establishing a targeted information strategy
and devoting human and financial resources to migrant recruitment.
Particular attention was also dedicated to the analysis of information strategies used
by private households when attempting to recruit migrant workers for occupations
in the domestic and care sector, as it was expected that specific patterns would result
from both the employer’s size and the nature of the job involved, requiring personal
trust to a great degree.
On the supply side, patterns of access to, use and perception of labour market
information by prospective and resident migrants were reviewed against the different
skill groups of migrants. This was based on the assumption that migrants may
mobilize different resources to acquire and use information on available job vacancies
and on the legal requirements to fill them, according to their level of education and
their competences. The definitions of low-, medium- and highly skilled migrants
adopted throughout the study follow an educational perspective and are based on
the classification of levels of qualifications and training as set by the International
6 Extract of Article 2 of the Annex of Recommendation 2003/361/EC.