While the headlines are full of stories of undocumented immigrants trying to enter the US or Europe, the real crisis facing developed countries is that they don’t have enough immigrants.

This situation became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when immigrant entry to the US is estimated to have fallen by nearly two million people, creating a labor market with nearly two job vacancies for every unemployed person, putting pressure on growth. on wages (which in turn leads to higher inflation). Another factor was the deaths and chronic illnesses resulting from the pandemic, which also reduced the workforce.

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The lack of staff was particularly noticeable in the field of health care (doctors, nurses, etc.). But it has also become visible in areas such as information technology, agriculture, restaurants, hotels, construction, childcare and elderly care, among others.

The problem is even more pronounced in countries where the population is declining (Japan, Italy, Germany, Portugal, etc.). Even the population of China, which has just overtaken India as the most populous country, has begun to decline, and is estimated to fall from 1.425 million now to 771 million in 2100.

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Countries with more reasonable immigration policies are beginning to attract immigrants, especially those with university degrees. Prominent examples of this are Canada, Australia and Germany. In these and other countries, students who receive postgraduate degrees automatically receive offers of residency and citizenship.

Developing countries, such as Ecuador, should strive to retain their skilled workers…

The US has limited the number of H1-B visas, intended for professionals in fields such as science and technology, to the extent that the annual visa quota is usually used up in February each year. Some congressmen have proposed expanding those quotas, and Democrats have suggested ways to legalize the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants.

Despite restrictions on legal immigration, the US remains the country most people want to immigrate to, followed by Canada, Germany and Spain.

The countries with the largest share of immigrants are the Arab Emirates (United Arab Emirates 88%; Qatar 77%; Kuwait 72%); followed by European microstates (Liechtenstein 67%; Monaco 67%; and Andorra 59%).

In the US, laws have been passed to promote the computer industry, green technologies and telecommunications, but expansion is limited by a lack of skilled workers.

Another factor will be the rise of “digital nomads”, who will work remotely from anywhere.

While far-right and xenophobic parties continue to attack immigration, gradually politicians and the public will realize that a real crisis will attract enough skilled immigrants.

Developing countries, such as Ecuador, should strive to retain their skilled workers, and implement measures to attract “digital nomads”, for whom good infrastructure and security will be key. (OR)