[Paleopsych] BBC: Migration is 'good for everybody'

[Premise Checker]

Migration is 'good for everybody'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/4117300.stm
Published: 2005/06/22 04:23:33 GMT
Thanks to Sarah for this.

[The amazing news is that Russia is second in the world, behind the US, in the 
number of immigrants, but maybe not so amazing if one considers the countries 
next to Russia. One rarely thinks about these countries, though.

[The bad news is that the net (economic) contribution of immigrants to the UK 
(and the calculations are likely overestimates) is $4 billion, which is 0.2% of 
its $1.6 trillion GDP, which is also $0.18 per day per Britisher. The negative 
effects on culture and the gene pool are far, far greater than that.

[I haven't seen comparable calculations for the winners and losers for the free 
movement of goods, as opposed to the free movement of people. I'm waiting for 
Guillermo de la Dehesha, _Winners and Losers in Globalization_, which was 
scheduled for issue on June 15 but hasn't appeared. This looks like it's going 
to be a solid book.

[I don't know what the effects on culture is that comes with imported goods. 
The effects on the gene pool are presumably zero.]

    Migrants can bring many benefits to both the countries they move to
    and the ones they leave behind, according to a major new study.

    The International Organization for Migration looked at the costs,
    benefits and disadvantages of global migration.

    It found that common concerns about the negative effects of migration
    on jobs and welfare costs are often unfounded.

    The IOM says there are up to 192 million migrants and many bring a
    wide range of economic and other benefits.

    Reciprocity

    "We are living in an increasingly globalised world that can no longer
    depend on domestic labour markets alone.

    This is a reality that has to be managed," said Brunson McKinley, head
    of the IOM.

    "If managed properly, migration can bring more benefits than costs."

    The IOM cites a British report showing that, between 1999 and 2000,
    migrants in the UK contributed $4bn (£2.1bn) more in taxes than they
    received in benefits.

    Migrants also make a significant contribution to the economies of
    their home states, the report says, with returning cash flows
    sometimes exceeding official development aid.

    Filling spaces

    Rather from taking jobs from local workers, the report says that
    migrants tend to fill spaces at the poles of the labour market -
    working both in low-skilled, high-risk jobs and highly skilled,
    well-paid employment.

    MIGRATION FACTS
    Migrants represent 2.9% of the world population
    Almost half of them (48.6%) are women
    The number of international migrants more than doubled 1970-1990
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    "There's very little evidence in many of the Western countries that
    are receiving migrants that migrants are substituting the local
    workforce," the report's editor, Irena Omelaniuk, added.

    And migrant workers sent back more than $100bn (£55bn) to their
    countries of origin in 2004. In fact, the report estimates that more
    than double this figure may also be sent through informal channels.

    Morocco, the report says, received $2.87bn (£1.57bn), or 8% of its
    GDP, from money sent home by migrant workers in 2002 and remittances
    sent to the Philippines accounted for almost 10% of its GDP.

    The report says that, although many skilled workers abandon their home
    countries seeking higher pay abroad, many can be encouraged to return
    home bringing acquired skills and experience - a process of "brain
    gain".

    "Trends suggest a greater movement towards circular migration, with
    substantial benefits to both home and host societies," the report
    says.

    The IOM says that migrants make up less than 3% of the global
    population and that almost half of all migrants are women.

    It says that although the number of migrants has risen, from 82m in
    1970 to around 190m people today, some countries - including Asia and
    Africa - have seen their proportional share of migrants decline.

    The most popular destination countries for migrants include the US -
    which alone is home to more than 20% of the world's migrants - and
    Russia, home to almost 8% of global migrants.