Migration to OECD countries is at unprecedented levels. A new OECD report shows that over 6 million new permanent immigrants (excluding Ukrainian refugees) immigrated to OECD countries , reaching a record level in 2022.
This increase was driven by growth in humanitarian migration and managed labor migration, along with accompanying family members. More than one in three OECD countries recorded their highest levels in at least 15 years, with several countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, reporting the highest figures ever. Temporary labor migration, especially seasonal types, also saw a strong increase. The number of admissions of international students approached 2 million for the first time.
In addition to these numbers, there are the influxes of refugees from Ukraine. As of June 2023, there were about 4.7 million displaced Ukrainians in OECD countries . Germany, Poland, and the United States host the largest number of Ukrainian refugees in absolute terms, while Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania received the highest number as a share of their population.
Asylum applications in the OECD also reached a record in 2022. Over 2 million new applications were submitted in OECD countries in 2022, the highest number recorded to date, well above the previous record of 1.7 million in 2015/16 and double the level of 2021. The increase was largely driven by a surge in applications in the United States, rising to 730 000 compared to less than 190 000 in 2021.
Meanwhile, citizenship acquisitions in OECD countries also reached a new record in 2022, with 2.8 million, according to preliminary data.
The labor market outcomes for immigrants are at their highest levels since the turn of the millennium.
Between 2021 and 2022, the employment rate of migrants improved in all OECD countries except Poland – which had high inflows of Ukrainian refugees – and reached the highest level ever across the OECD . There was a particularly strong improvement in labor market outcomes for migrant women, reducing the gender gap in several countries.
However, immigrant mothers face specific challenges.
On average, the differences in employment rates between mothers and non-mothers are twice as large for migrants as for those born in the country. Individual and cultural preferences are often cited as major obstacles to their integration into the labor market, but evidence suggests that migrant women do not choose inactivity voluntarily. Migrant mothers also report higher levels of underemployment and involuntary part-time employment.
Key Findings from the OECD Report
• Permanent migration to OECD countries increased by 26% in 2022 compared to 2021. Preliminary data for 2023 suggest a further increase.
• Family migration continued to be the main entry category for new permanent migrants, accounting for 40% of all permanent migration, while managed labor migration and free mobility each accounted for 21%.
• The main countries of origin for asylum seekers in the OECD in 2022 were Venezuela (221 000), Cuba (180 000), Afghanistan (170 000), and Nicaragua (165 000).
• In more than half of the OECD countries , the employment rate of migrants is at its highest level in over two decades.
• Immigrant mothers face a disproportionate disadvantage, both compared to immigrant women without children and to their peers born in the country. On average in the OECD , the difference in employment rates between immigrant mothers and those born in the country is 20 percentage points.
Source: OECD