Skills on the Move
Migrants in the Survey of Adult Skills
Migration has been at the centre of political debate across the OECD in recent years. Drawing on data from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), this report provides new evidence on differences in migrants’ characteristics and contexts and considers how these relate to the skills migrants possess. It also examines the relationship between migrants’ skills and their labour and non-labour market outcomes in host countries. Finally, it sheds new light on how migrants’ skills are developed, used and valued in host country labour markets and societies. Results and lessons gleaned from analysis highlight the way forward for future research on this topic.
The report represents an invaluable resource for policy makers across different sectors as they design and implement strategies aimed at promoting the long-term integration of foreign-born populations in the economic and social life of their countries. The analyses presented allow us to identify the skill composition of foreign-born populations, the labour market and broader social outcomes associated with such skills, and the factors that can promote skill acquisition and skill use.
Foreign-born workers and their labour market outcomes
This chapter focuses on how foreign-born workers fare in the host-country labour market. It focuses on earnings, occupational status and the extent to which foreign-born workers’ skills are used in the workplace. It also discusses the factors that could affect these outcomes, including immigrants’ proficiency in literacy, numeracy and the host-country language, their country of origin, and where they acquired their education.