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Demographic projections for the next decades point to shrinking workforces in most OECD countries. In the EU member states, the working-age population is expected to contract by 12% by 2030. In addition, the increasingly competitive global economic environment induces an accelerating pace of structural change. As a consequence, despite the high unemployment rates currently observed in many OECD countries, labour and skills shortages are anticipated to rise over the next two decades, challenging economic growth prospects. In this context, maintaining a high-quality workforce represents a key strategic goal for both employment and economic growth.
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Since the 1950s, in many parts of the world, labour migration movements have been facilitated – to a lesser or greater extent – among selected groups of countries, generally characterised by close geographical proximity and historic and economic ties. Such liberalisation of international labour mobility has generally developed in the context of a broader process of regional economic integration, and has tended to be introduced in the latter phases of this process. The degree to which labour migration is facilitated varies with the level of regional integration. Only in a limited number of cases has the liberalisation of international labour mobility in the context of regional economic integration processes led to the establishment of free labour mobility areas, involving full and equal labour market access for all member countries’ nationals. The great majority of such free-movement areas are to be found among OECD countries.
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