Immigration and its economic effects

The report examines the economic effects of migration in the light of both theory and empirical research, above all from the perspective of the labour market. On the basis of the research, it is difficult to argue that immigrants have at least any significant impact on the labour market position of the native population. The effects on, for example, the wage levels or unemployment of the native population are, according to the research, small. Despite the growth in the foreign-born population, the number of foreigners in Finland remains small. Estimates of migration flows from the new EU member states, for example, are also so small that migration from that source alone would not be sufficient to address the problem of an ageing population. Furthermore, differences in labour market position among foreigners are considerable. If immigration is to be developed specifically from a labour policy perspective, attention should be paid both to the volume of migration and to how well the skills of the immigrant workforce match the needs of the Finnish labour market. (AI translation)

• ISSN: 1795-2832
• ISBN: 978-952-209-003-4
• Press Release in Finnish