International Refugees and Strained Labour Markets – Addressing Two Issues at Once?
From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Lampedusa to the English Channel to the U.S. southern border, not a day often passes without global news concerning a wave of refugees. Yet, at the same time, many advanced economies, including countries that are frequent destinations of international refugees, are experiencing severe labour shortages. While international refugees never should be subject to exploitation, can refugees provide significant relief to strained labour markets of advanced economies, or are the immigration barriers to entry in such markets too high for refugee labour to make any difference at all? This panel will dissect this issue, from the standpoint of practical solutions for refugees, employers and governments.