? 11 May 2021 ? 9 AM -10:30 AM (Washington DC Time)
Virtual
High-income countries around the world depend on immigration to help foster strong societies and economies. Yet when deciding who is allowed to enter, many high-income countries use a simple dichotomy based on educational attainment – “high” and “low” skilled.
This dichotomy ignores three key facts. Firstly, economies require a wide variety of skills and abilities to thrive; admitting people at either end ignores this complexity. Secondly, most foreign workers bring a “skills mix”. This could include educational attainment and knowledge of a foreign language, but also abilities learned at previous and current jobs as well as interpersonal and other social skills. Thirdly, COVID-19 has exposed the essential roles occupied by foreign workers at all skill levels, and many locals recognize and support this dynamic.
Despite these facts, there is little willingness among high-income countries to admit more workers at a range of skill levels or even do away with a stringent focus on educational-based skill levels overall. In this event, we will discuss how to build this willingness and more mutually beneficial migration pathways at all skill levels.
