This publication constitutes the 44th report of the OECD’s Continuous Reporting System on Migration. The report is divided into four chapters plus a statistical annex.

The COVID‑19 pandemic quickly generated a global health emergency, which has turned into an economic and social crisis unseen in generations. It has also once again shown the key contributions that migrants make in keeping our societies functioning. During the confinement, foreign-born workers were highly represented in essential activities such as health care and food retail and in some of the hard jobs that the native born eschew, such as picking fruit. Even when travel and admission were severely restricted, most countries realised they needed to make exceptions for some migrants in these sectors.

OECD countries, with the exception of Colombia and Turkey, together accepted about 5.3 million new permanent migrants in 2019. This represents a stable level compared to 2018. Flows to the United States and Germany (the top OECD receiving countries) continued to decrease, while in most other OECD countries flows tended to increase, notably in Spain and Japan.

This chapter provides an overview of recent developments in international migration movements and policies in OECD countries. First section analyses the shock to migration from COVID‑19 based on preliminary data for the first semester of 2020. A detailed analysis of the trends in permanent migration from 2009 to 2019 follows, by country and by main category of migration – migration for work, family or humanitarian purposes, and migration within free movement areas. The next section addresses temporary migration for work purposes, including seasonal workers, intra-company transferees, posted workers, trainees and working holidaymakers. The chapter then examines international student mobility and the recent trends in asylum requests in OECD countries. It then looks at the composition of migration flows by gender and by country of origin, the evolution of the size of the foreign-born population, and trends in the acquisition of nationality across OECD countries. The chapter concludes with a section on policies concerning the main 2018‑20 changes made to migration management frameworks.

The first part of this chapter examines the labour market outcomes of immigrants in OECD countries during the period 2014‑19. Particular attention is given to job quality, with a focus on the professional careers of immigrant women. The last part of this chapter discusses recent changes in integration policies in OECD countries. It highlights in particular the increased policy interest in social integration, and the multi-stakeholder approach to integration policy.

Migrants are not equally distributed across the economy. They are strongly concentrated in a number of sectors, especially in low-skilled services but also in information technology and manufacturing. This raises the question of the impact of migration on sectoral development. With the asymmetric employment impact of the COVID‑19 crisis across sectors, and the essential role of migrants in certain key sectors, there is a renewed interest in the links between sectors and migration. This chapter provides a first comprehensive comparative overview of the presence of migrants across sectors in OECD countries. It also assesses how migration policy instruments are associated with specific sectors, with a focus on agriculture, hospitality, and IT. Migration has sectoral implications, whether these are intentional or not. Being aware of the sectoral dimension of migration is a precondition for reaping potential benefits for specific sectors where intended, as well as for avoiding unintended adverse impact.

A.1. Inflows of foreign population into selected OECD countries and Russia

Dominika ANDRZEJCZAK, Assistant