The EU workforce and future international migration

Demographic projections for the EU27 point unequivocally to a growing shortage of young graduates, which will become increasingly pronounced as the decade continues. In theory, selective immigration could fill part of the corresponding labour needs. However, against the prospect of developing selective immigration based on the level of education, it is important to note that the distribution of immigrants by level of education does not appear very favourable, since there is still very heavy overrepresentation of the lowest level of education. In addition, the ability of immigration to help manage demographic challenges depends more on the architecture of the host countries, in terms of integration and non-discriminatory deployment, than on the characteristics of the immigrants themselves.