The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration in Europe
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration in Europe

Author(s): Judyta Cabańska
Subject(s): Politics, Economy, Supranational / Global Economy, Economic policy, Economic development, Migration Studies, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Globalization, Asylum, Refugees, Migration as Policy-fields
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Poznaniu
Keywords: migration;labor market;COVID-19;
Summary/Abstract: Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented restrictions to travel and mobility at global level. Limitations of migration flows resulted in problems in countries with a large share of immigrants on the labor market. The aim of the chapter is to examine the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on migration flow in Europe. In addition, the impact of changes in migration flows during the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market in Europe is also presented. Design/methodology/approach: The following research methods were used in the work: cause and effect analysis, statistical analysis of quantitative data, descriptive statistics methods. The analysis used statistical data from Eurostat, Frontex, OECD and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Findings: From the analysis, it can be concluded that restrictions on migration to Europe contributed to reducing the influx of migrants to EU countries, which was reflected in the situation on the labor market. Increasing labor shortages in critical sectors leads to a slowdown in the post-pandemic recovery of economies. The lifting of pandemic restrictions in 2021 made it possible to partially resume travel. Labor markets have recovered surprisingly rapidly, as vaccination levels have risen markedly and mobility has normalised. Research limitations: The possibilities to determine the impact of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic on migration flows are limited, as the timeliness and frequency of data collection are not sufficient to provide adequate information on this subject. Practical implications: The European Union should support the opening of legal migration channels. Making legal migration more difficult for people in developing countries will encourage more people to attempt irregular migration. It is necessary to pursue an effective immigration policy tailored to the needs of the labor market of EU Member States in conjunction with development policy. During the pandemic, it was possible to observe how much some sectors of the economy are dependent on workers from other countries. Originality and value: This chapter attempts to contribute to the literature on international migration delivering results of analysis of impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the migration flows in Europe.

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