How attractive is the European Union to skilled migrants?

This chapter looks at where the European Union stands in the global competition for skills. It examines the EU’s share of global migration stocks and flows relative to other OECD destinations. The chapter also looks at survey data on how EU Member States are perceived in relation to other potential destinations, considering how attractive they are and examining the opinions of residents, employers and potential migrants. The perception in EU Member States is that the immigration laws are not restrictive, but foreign talents are not sufficiently attracted to EU Member States. Overall, the European Union has to catch up with other OECD countries. Finally, there appears to be a large pool of talent interested in migrating to EU Member States that is much more extensive than the current flows. Relative to its size, however, the EU continues to play an undersized role in labour migration and in the growing migration of skilled individuals.