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Virtually all the OECD countries are concerned with immigration or the settling of migrants for relatively long periods. A large majority come from countries that are not members of the Organisation.(1)
In the 1960s and '70s, it was possible to draw up a classification scheme of OECD countries based on whether migration was essentially a long-standing or a more recent phenomenon, distinguishing between countries of immigration and those of emigration. Today, in nearly all the OECD countries the balance of migration is positive, but their experience varies with the size, duration and structure of the flows, as well as the policies adopted. For the most part, migrants come from non-OECD countries, but movements of member-country nationals still take place within the area.
The new situation can be explained in large part by the fact that flows increased appreciably in the mid-1980s and continued to rise until the early '90s. Four aspects of recent trends in international migration are especially important: shifts in the direction and nature of migratory movements; a rise in the foreign or immigrant populations of most OECD countries; the employment status of immigrants; and international co-operation to control flows more tightly and to promote economic growth and job-creation in developing countries as an alternative to increased migration.
The most striking changes in migration patterns stem from the emergence of immigration in the traditional emigration countries of southern Europe, particularly in Greece, Italy and Spain. Moreover, East-West flows and those among central and eastern European countries have been on the rise, prompted in part by the movements of ethnic minorities and migrants in transit. Lastly, migrants from Asia (especially from Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) account for a large proportion of new entries in Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.
The fact that recent immigrants to the OECD countries reflect a wider variety of regional origins and nationalities has not put a stop to the traditional patterns of migration, as from South to North. In addition, the consolidation or emergence of regional economic blocs (the European Economic Area, ASEAN, NAFTA and APEC), along with particular political developments (such as events in the former Yugoslavia, in Algeria and in Haiti), have intensified and strengthened the regional...