Arbeitskräftemobilität in der EU im Angesicht der Krise: Gewinner und Verlierer

The article deals with the qualitative and quantitative dimension of East-West intra-EU labour mobility in the context of the economic crisis. We ask the question whether EU labour mobility contributes to a better allocation of human resources as the European Commission has repeatedly stated. On the basis of the European Labour Force Survey we analyze developments in employment of EU8 and EU2 migrants in selected EU15 countries and compare unemployment rates between EU10 migrants and domestic workers in an attempt to identify winners and losers. At least in parts, short-term migrant labour has acted as a buffer during the crisis in most receiving countries. Our analysis shows in line with other academic research that over-qualification seems to be a characteristic feature of EU10 migrants. The sectoral distribution profiles of EU10 migrants presented in the article supports this phenomenon. This under-utilisation of human capital points to one of the greatest challenges that intra-EU labour mobility is facing in recent years