Labor immigration: consequences, advantages and disadvantages

Table of countries labor immigration

That is, predominantly the backbone of the countries where labor immigration takes place consists of economically and politically developed countries. But recently, developing countries have also begun to become targets for migrants (Russia is a typical example of such a state).

Labor emigration from Russia

If we define the situation in one sentence, then people with higher and specialized education are coming from Russia. In 2011 alone, more than 12 thousand Russians deregistered in their homeland, moving to permanent residence in non-CIS countries. The share of those who left with higher education was almost 40% (4,868 people according to Rosstat). But in 2021, the number of those who left their homeland forever increased and exceeded the bar of 54 thousand people. The number of people with higher education leaving also increased, but their share decreased - 8,377 people, which amounted to 15.4% of the total number of emigrations.

Below is the geography of departure destinations of educated people (according to Rosstat from 2005 to 2014):

• Germany is in first place: during the specified period, 34,433 people with higher professional education went there, including: 112 candidates of science and 39 doctors of science
• The USA is traditionally popular - 5,765 people went there, including 71 candidates of science and 31 people with the rank of doctor of science
• During the specified period of time, an order of magnitude less went to Israel than to Germany: 3,477 people with higher education, of which 22 candidates and 12 doctors of science
• During this time period, 2,161 people with higher education left for Canada, of which 30 candidates and 6 doctors

In 2021, 2021 and 2021, the number of people leaving for permanent residence in the Baltic countries, as well as in Finland, increased more than 3 times. Rosstat data for 2015 is very interesting - it says that that year more than 54 thousand people left Russia, while more than 9,800 of those who emigrated for permanent residence were from China. Only a little more than 4,500 people left for Germany that year. (We can conclude that the accent of leaving compatriots is gradually shifting from west to east).

Why do highly qualified specialists leave their homeland?

However, data regarding the number of people leaving, according to Rosstat, is not always objective. Much more credible is the information that in New York there is a shortage of places in Russian-language kindergartens. Moreover, this deficit is estimated at more than 15 thousand places. It is unlikely that these are only the descendants of those who immigrated during the existence of the Soviet Union...

Why do our fellow citizens with higher and specialized education strive to leave their homeland? Their educational level is important here. The higher it is, the more pragmatic a person’s judgments are. Uneducated people tend to rely more on chance and hope for the best. Those who have at least a higher education think systematically:

• They see a trend in changes in the level of remuneration of specialists of their qualifications in their homeland
• They see a general change in the socio-economic situation in the country
• They analyze the effectiveness of social elevators

They compare this data with their own capabilities and draw conclusions. It is quite obvious that these results are not at all in favor of the conditions that they are theoretically able to find in their homeland. At the same time, in developed countries there is a real struggle for qualified specialists, so there they can quite realistically:

• Increase your income by an order of magnitude
• Get prospects for self-development
• Provide better conditions in terms of education and health care for their family members

The relevance of the problem of migration in Russia

Migration in Russia, as well as international migration processes in principle, is a problem that has a number of compelling reasons. The standard of living includes the following concepts: safety of residence, quality medical care, the opportunity to study and receive an appropriate education, having one’s own home, social security and the ability to fill the consumer basket. According to the Russian statistics agency, the majority of Russian migrants move to more developed countries, among which Germany, Finland and the United States occupy the leading place.

The situation becomes tense when some workers in certain specialties become unclaimed. In addition, the opposite situations also occur, when foreign companies lay off Russians. This may be due to the introduction of numerous penalties. For the most part, this aspect concerns the oil industry and engineering enterprises. If the Russian sales market for such companies is closed, then they will no longer need servicing, which most often ends with the specialists returning to Russia.

Today, conditions in the Russian Federation, both from an economic point of view and from a political point of view, are far from simple. Despite this, the influx of migrants to Russia is increasing every year. A significant part of migration processes is carried out at the expense of the CIS countries, whose security and standard of living are the same as in Russia. At the same time, population growth in the Russian Federation tends to decrease, however, this percentage is relatively low and equal to 15.5%. This state of affairs can be explained by the presence of qualified personnel leaving the country.

Many opponents of migration have a natural question: do problems arise because of migrants? Regarding this topic, analysts have concluded that migration growth has absolutely no impact on wages for native residents of Russia and the growth of crime.

The fact is that compliance with laws is the main condition for foreigners arriving in Russia. Failure to comply with them threatens visitors with deportation. According to statistics, the percentage of crimes committed by migrants is tiny, and besides, the bulk of them are violations of the conditions of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Labor immigration to the USA

Obtaining a US work visa makes it possible not only to work legally in the country, but also to apply for a green card. US migration authorities divide all applicants for an American visa (and then residence permit and permanent residence) into 5 categories:

1. Prominent people

These include: celebrities from the world of art (of all varieties), science (of all industries), athletes, even outstanding and proven businessmen, as well as famous, highly qualified managers.

1. Specialized professionals

These are people with rare abilities and talents, professionals in their fields that are valuable from the point of view of American national interests.

1. Wage-earners

This category includes both professionals and low-skilled workers.

1. Businessmen and former politicians

If your business is not famous or at least known in narrow circles, then you will be classified in this category. In addition, it is believed that retired politicians are also potential entrepreneurs.

1. Investors

US work visa applicants falling into categories 1-4 are required to file an immigration petition (Form i-140) with USCIS. (Investors complete this petition on Form i-526.) In addition, work visa applicants, except investors, are required to have an official invitation from the employer.

According to need and ability

Since mid-March, a new scheme for attracting foreign labor has been in effect in the Russian Federation, which was developed taking into account the pandemic and the interests of Russians. The main innovation is the application procedure from employers. Moreover, you can invite foreign specialists only for certain projects. Companies that want to hire foreigners must meet certain requirements: staff - from 250 people, annual income - from 2 billion rubles. As the Ministry of Labor explained, this was done so that employers could provide decent conditions for migrants and compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements.

By alien forces

Photo: RIA Novosti/Maxim Blinov

Thus, everyone who comes to Russia must observe a two-week quarantine; the employer is obliged to organize this. In addition, he must provide foreign citizens with decent housing, sign an employment contract with them, provide medical care, and ensure that they work only in the region where they were invited. At the end of the contract, the company undertakes to ensure the return of the employee to his country of residence within three days.

Labor demand: Russia plans to simplify entry for labor migrants

For now we are talking only about those who go to construction sites

Since the new rules came into effect, the number of approved applications for foreign workers has been growing rapidly - by more than 20% per week. As the Ministry of Labor told Izvestia, as of April 9, 43 companies from 13 regions received approval for 119 applications for 7,559 foreign workers. Requests came from Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Tatarstan, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Astrakhan, Irkutsk, Leningrad, Magadan, Omsk, Orenburg, Pskov, Saratov and Sverdlovsk regions. Companies that expect foreign workers are engaged in construction, mining, and crop production, the ministry told Izvestia.

— Of the listed regions, only Moscow and St. Petersburg are in leading positions in attracting migrants. And even during the pandemic, they were not left without foreign labor,” commented Lyudmila Ivanova-Shvets, associate professor of the basic department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation “Development of Human Capital”. “But in other regions there are projects that cannot be fully implemented without attracting foreign labor.

By alien forces

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov

According to the expert, subjects have different industry needs.

“So, the Magadan region applies for work in the mining and fishing industries, and Tatarstan and the Sverdlovsk region need highly qualified workers mainly in construction,” she noted, emphasizing that the latter sector ranks first in attracting migrants.

Let's summarize about labor immigration

Labor migration is an inevitable phenomenon of the economic structure of the modern world. However, in order for it not to turn into a curse for individual states, a consistent and sometimes tough policy should be pursued in the field of admitting migrants to the country’s labor market.

Due to the increasing effectiveness of border controls, there is a tendency to synchronize the efforts of states from the same region (for example, states from the European Union) in the field of implementing a coordinated migration policy. Presumably, no later than in 5 years, this trend will become global.

Types of labor migration

Migration of the working-age population can be external and internal. External migration involves the movement of the working-age population from country to country. That is, it enters and exits across the borders of its own and other states. The following picture clearly shows the types of labor migration.

External labor migration in Russia and other countries has its own forms and is divided depending on the frequency of working-age citizens being outside Russia into:

1. Temporary. Involves working outside the Russian Federation for no more than 6 years.
2. Constant. Involves moving to a foreign country for employment.

Employment abroad involves a certain procedure, which includes:

• provision of a package of necessary documents with the mandatory formulation of the grounds for relocation;
• obtaining a labor patent, residence permit, medical insurance.

Internal labor migration in the Russian Federation and other countries involves the movement of people of working age throughout the constituent entities of Russia for the purpose of employment. This is due to the different situation in cities, namely the level of unemployment, shortage or surplus of jobs requiring low or, conversely, high qualifications, with average wages.

Due to the desire to improve the quality of their lives, people may travel to another city or even country every day (if their place of residence is near the border), or only at certain times of the year. Therefore, there are types of labor migration (seasonal, pendulum).