Obilježja migracijskih tokova i integracija novih imigrantskih grupa na tržištu rada u južnoeuropskim zemljama članicama Europske unije
Characteristics of Migration Flows and Integration of New Immigrant Groups in the Labour Market in Southern European EU Member States

Summary/Abstract: In the early 1990s, and especially after the accession to the European Union, southern European countries were faced with an increased influx of immigration, particularly by third country citizens. The majority of migration flows refers to illegal migration. In this paper, the integration of new immigrant groups in the labour market has been analysed by using the theory of the segmented labour market. A high degree of labour market segmentation and irregularities in the analyzed countries is particularly present in the construction, agricultural and service sectors (households, hotels and catering). Illegal recruitment is an important attractive factor for illegal migrants, and encourages the development of illegal migration. Frequent implementation of control programmes solves the problem of illegal migrants only partially while, at the same time, an increasing number of new immigrants is being “attracted”. Due to special features of more recent migration flows in southern European countries, it is possible to apply the “South European immigration model” by King and Ribas-Mateos, portraying these flows triangularly. In this model the mass influx of immigration is connected to a high level of irregularities in the economic sector and a weak welfare state. The uneven economic development of sending and receiving countries, as well as the perception of new immigrants (third country citizens) exclusively through the prism of homo economicus, does not inspire too much optimism that their position in the labour market and in society will significantly improve in the foreseeable future. On behalf of more equitable treatment of new immigrant groups, their greater recognition should be demanded from receiving countries’ governments as well as the regulation of their position by introducing new and different norms and standards, based in the first place on universal human rights.

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