Labour market performance and migration flows - European ...

European CommissionOccasional Paper 60, Volume Imigrants, their destination, their education, sex and age profile, as well as basic variables on labourmarket performance (wages, working hours, unemployment, composition of labour force…). Thisprogramme would necessarily involve national State statistical services and could be designed andimplemented in the framework of the current Medstat III regional programme, while being steeredby the European Commission or Eurostat (adopting standard statistical cooperation methodsemployed within the EU). The template of statistics to be produced and a first approach tomethodological issues could be usefully designed and developed with the advice of experts on labourmarkets and migration from across the region.- A project to develop a set of complete statistics on labour and migration at the sub-regional level inone or two pilot countries, carrying out the relevant field surveys (due to the availability of Surveys,Morocco or Tunisia are good candidates in the Maghreb and taking into account regional dynamicsJordan would be a good candidate in the Mashreq, given the lack of the most basic surveys inLebanon). The template of statistics could be the same as in the former proposal, and the projectwould be best implemented by a qualified research centre (or a consortium of an internationalresearch centre and a national one for each pilot country), if possible in close co-operation withnational statistical institutes. The project should provide resources to carry out specific region-levelsurveys when needed.- On the basis of the above-mentioned sets of pan-AMC and sub-regional labour markets andmigration data, to undertake a wide-ranging study to test to what extent research and theories onmigration flows and labour markets developed on evidence from other regions work for AMCs.Figure 5.1.1 offers a possible matrix of research questions to guide this research. This mightusefully begin with an international seminar with experts on these issues from other regions andexperts from the AMC region itself. The seminar could help develop a network of experts to workas the conveyor belts of the project: so far no real community of experts on labour markets or onlabour markets and migration exists in the region (on migration, in contrast, there is already anemerging community, in particular around the CARIM).- An inventory of migration policies implemented throughout the region (both n the EU and inAMCs), with a scientific assessment of their working and their impact through appropriateindicators and methodologies. This could serve as a basis for the transfer of best practices.- Given the lack of knowledge on the informal economy and informal employment in AMCs, itsworkings and how it interrelates with the formal labour market and international (irregular)migration, a region-wide Study on informal employment (no such Study exists as yet) couldprovide useful policy guidelines not only for employment policies, but also for investmentpromotion and other economic policies. This Study should be based on household surveys.- A comprehensive study on the magnitude and characteristics of inter-Arab migration, in particularAMC migration patterns to the Gulf countries and Libya, will substantially add to the knowledgewe have of migration in AMCs and its economic and social impact.7.3. AMC Economic and Social PoliciesThere seems to be quite a reasonably broad consensus on the national AMC policies needed to face thechallenge of employment (see Section 3.3 and Section 4.4 or 4.5 of National Background Papers).Some fundamental guidelines are the following:- Upgrading of national education and vocational education and training systems. Quality ofeducation at all levels, orientation to labour market needs and the employability of youths andwomen should be at the centre of this strategy.98