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Labour Migration from Eastern Europe and the EU 's Quest for Talents
Author(s) -
Danzer Alexander M.,
Dietz Barbara
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
jcms: journal of common market studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.54
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1468-5965
pISSN - 0021-9886
DOI - 10.1111/jcms.12087
Subject(s) - destinations , demographic economics , member states , political science , human migration , geography , business , international trade , economics , sociology , european union , demography , population , tourism , law
This article investigates the determinants of temporary migration and the destination choices of migrants from a geopolitically important region in eastern Europe that borders Russia and the enlarged EU . We present empirical evidence from a novel survey simultaneously conducted in A rmenia, B elarus, G eorgia, M oldova and U kraine, five countries that share a common institutional and linguistic heritage with Russia. Temporary migrants from eastern E urope are less well educated than non‐migrants. While the least educated migrants head for R ussia, the higher educated move to the EU and the best educated to overseas destinations. According to unique information on pre‐migration training courses, a non‐negligible fraction of eastern E uropean migrants to the EU is well‐equipped with language skills and qualifications. However, since many labour migrants suffer from occupational downgrading or skill waste in the destination, the EU seems to fail in fully benefiting from the potential of eastern E uropean migration despite the geographic proximity.