Matching return migrants’ competencies and labour market needs

– the case of Polish returneesPaweł Kaczmarczyk

Centre of Migration ResearchUniversity of Warsaw

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EMIGRATION IN LATVIA AND THE OTHER BALTICCOUNTRIES: CHALLENGES AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

17 December 2012, Riga

Outline

Return migration to Poland: scale and structural features

Labour market position of returnees

Return migration and transfer of soft skills social remittances

Programs targeting returnees – selected examples

Concluding remarks

Post-2004 migration from Poland: stock of (temporary) migrants

Source: Own elaboration based on the CSO data

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

-0,5

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Stock of (temporary) migrants (in million, left axis) Annual % change (right axis)

Return migration to Poland: scale and structural featuresThe meaning of diaspora

Migration in the transition period: temporary / circular mobility, ‘incomplete migration’, fluid migration (Engbersen et al. 2012) flexible plans and strategies very nature of ‘return’

Scale of return migration:

Differences between estimated stocks of migrants? Questionable…

Polish LFS data (II quarter 2008):

2004-2008 580 thousand return migrants (or persons with migratory experiences)

1989-2008 1.05 million (2.7% of the total population)

Number of persons with migratory experience and staying temporarily abroad: 3.5 million (9% of the total population.

GENERALLY: massive migration in the post-accession period led to significant reverse flow of return migrants.

Return migration to Poland: scale and structural featuresStructural features selectivity of return migration

Return migrants vis a vis sending population: younger, better educated, more often male and single

Return migrants vis a vis emigrantsCharacteristic Emigrants (%) Return migrants (%) Selectivity index

Sex Male 61.1 64.0 0.05 Female 38.9 36.0 -0.07

Level of education University degree

14.1 10.2 -0.28

Secondary 14.1 12.9 -0.09 Secondary vocational

30.0 29.7 -0.01

Vocational 33.4 38.6 0.16 Primary 8.4 8.5 0.01

Type of settlement Urban 57.1 43.2 -0.24 Rural 42.9 56.8 0.33 Source: Anacka and Fihel 2012.

Return migration to Poland: scale and structural features Structural features selectivty of return migration – destination countries

Source: Own elaboration based on Anacka and Fihel 2012.

Return migration to Poland: scale and structural features Structural features selectivity of return migration regional dimension

Source: Anacka and Fihel 2012a.

Lubelskie

Return migration to Poland: matchingLabour market performance of returnees – based on the 2008 LFS module:

the labour market situation of Polish returnees not significantly different from the position of those who were immobile around 69% of return migrants employed as compared to 63% of non-migrants; unemployment rate of returnees around 2 percentage points higher;

participation rates of returnees relatively higher than in the case of persons without migratory experience

but:

return migrants more exposed to the risk of being unemployed (as compared to non-migrants);

the highest risk of unemployment noted in the case of those with secondary education;

high risk of being not active for young persons with short-term migration experience

GENERALLY: migratory experience influences labour market performance in a negative way effect of migration or the very profile of recent migrants?

Return migration to Poland: matchingReturn migration and transfer of soft skills social remittances (flows of ideas, norms etc.)

Main factors responsible for one’s own life (percentages of positive answers)

My life depends on: Total population Persons aged 18-35

Non-migrants Returnees Non-migrants Returnees

Government / policy makers 7.9 9.8 6.3 8.7

Other people 26.2 24.2 32.6 25.9

Fate / God 41.8 36.6 33.4 42.8

My own 71.4 73.8 79.9 73.1

N 25604 816 8719 494

Source: Own elaboration based on the Social Diagnosis data.

Assessment of one’s own life (percentages)

How do you feel? Total population Persons aged 18-35

Non-migrants Returnees Non-migrants Returnees

Very happy 9.6 15.9 15.6 18.9

Fairly happy 70.7 63.0 71.8 60.1

Not so happy 18.1 19.8 12.0 19.1

Unhappy 1.6 1.4 0.7 1.0

N 25604 816 8719 494

Return migration to Poland: programs and initiativesName of the

program / initiativeInstitutions responsible Main target groups Time frame Level of

implementation‘Masz PLan na powrót?’ [Have you got a PLan to return?]

Chancellory of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Centre of Human Resources Development

All migrants staying abroad, persons considering return to Poland and returnees

Since September 2008 (still active)

National

Wracajdopolski.pl [ReturntoPoland.pl]

Hays Polska, Polish-British Chamber of Commerce

Polish migrants staying abroad, particularly those highly skilled

October 2007 - 2011 National

‘Zostań w Polsce – swoim szefem’ [Become your own boss – stay in Poland]

Urząd Marszałkowski, Wyższa Szkoła Finansów i Prawa

Returnees in Mazovia region (particularly persons aged 45 and over, women or those who were forced to return due to loss of job abroad)

Since September 2010 (still active)

Regional

12 miast – wracać, ale dokąd? [The 12 cities – to go back, but where to?]

Poland Street Association (Polish NGO based in London), municipalities of 12 biggest Polish cities: Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Poznań, Rzeszów, Szczecin, Warszawa i Wrocław

Polish migrants staying in the UK January – August 2009 (stopped due to financial problems and economic downturn)

Regional

Powroty [Returns] Fundacja Barka Polish migrants staying in London (particularly homeless persons)

Since January 2007 (still active)

Regional

Opolskie – tutaj zostaję [‘Opolskie – here I stay’]

Self-Government of Opole region, Regional Labour Office in Opole

Persons staying abroad, graduates, people looking for a job in the region

2009 Regional

Wrócić i co dalej? [To return and what next?]

Fundacja Fundusz Lokalny Ziemi Biłgorajskiej, Powiatowy Urząd Pracy, Biłgorajska Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego

Young (below 35) Polish migrants and their families left behind

January 2007 – June 2009

Local

Masz PLan na powrót? [Have you got a PLan to return?] Governmet initiative launched in 2008 Main premises: 1) returns are an inevitable consequence of mass migration; 2) the responsibility of the

government should not be to influence individuals’ decisions to return but to enable them with a tool enabling making rational choices

Aim: not to stimulate returns but to enable ‘smooth’ return to Poland Main packages:

System of services for returning migrants: dedicated website, preparation and distribution of a ‘Return migrant handbook - Returner’ (manual or guide-book for returnees), online employment office services, advice on investment and business opportunities in the country.

Removal of barriers for persons planning to return to Poland: the Tax Abolition Act in order to avoid double taxation (2008), introduction of tax credit and investment allowance, grants for individual technology transfer, facilitating the recognition of education and qualifications acquired abroad, easier acquisition or restoration of Polish citizenship.

Activities aiming at individual return migrants and their families: particularly actions in the field of education (both abroad as well as in the country – e.g. procedures to help children returning to Poland).

Activities aiming at public administration, including training of civil servants who were supposed to have contacts with returnees.

Return migration to Poland: programs and initiatives

Concluding remarks

Selectivity of migration / selectivity of return

Returnees on the labour market opportunities and challenges (role of

push factors)

Programs targeting persons staying abroad and returnees

Rationale

Evidence based initiatives?

Evaluation?

Importance of external conditions (economic downturn)

Policies targeting returnees or general labour market policies (with only some

specific measures, e.g. language training) (?)