From Immigration to Integration: Local Solutions to a Global Challenge

Today the battle for talent is as important as the battle for capital. In the knowledge economy, skilled migrants can offer a significant comparative advantage to local economies. Unskilled migrants are also in demand, particularly where demographic change reduces the self-sufficiency of local labour markets. Yet for the potential advantages of migration to be harnessed, it is crucial that immigration be accompanied by integration, or effective mechanisms for ensuring that immigrants are incorporated into labour markets, the economy and society. Paradoxically, at the same time that migration is increasing in global importance, there is worrying evidence that integration results do not seem to be as favourable as they were in the past. The integration of immigrants is a policy area where a local approach is critical. While immigration policy is often determined, designed and funded at the national level, its impact on migrants and society is more strongly felt at the local level where o