Since the 1950s, in many parts of the world labour migration movements have been facilitated between selected groups of countries to a lesser or greater extent. If these liberalisation experiences share a number of characteristics, there are also important differences – both in terms of the degree to which the migration movements have been facilitated and in terms of accompanying measures. This chapter aims to provide a better understanding of the development of free labour mobility areas and their impact on migration flows. This sort of movement is expected to play a greater role in responding to ageing populations and workforces.

This chapter aims to shed some light on the impact of the global economic crisis on free mobility. It aims to answer the following three key questions: First, how has free mobility evolved during the crisis? Second, how did free-mobility migrants who had migrated just prior to the onset of the crisis fare during the crisis? Finally, not all countries and regions were equally affected by the crisis. Is there any evidence that free mobility has played an equilibrating role during the crisis – that is, did free mobility encourage moves from areas that were hard hit towards others that were less affected?