MODULE 14

International
Migration and HRM
Stephen Bach
Key Aims:
The aims of this chapter are to:

●examine trends in international migration and the links to the

analysis of globalization;
● familiarize readers with the main debates about the causes of
migration;
● explore the main winners and losers of international migration;
● assess the human resource management challenges that arise
from employing a more
diverse workforce.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
01. 02. 03.
Introduction International migration: What shapes migration?
dimensions and trends

04. 05. 06.

The impact of migration Worker and trade union Conclusion
responses
 01. Introduction
In the human resource management (HRM) literature, most analysis
of globalization has concentrated on the movement of capital and the pivotal
role of multinationals in diffusing innovative HRM practices. It is only in
recent years that the mobility of labor has received more attention as
employers in most countries are making increased use of migrant labor to fill
highly skilled and low-skill jobs.
Governments have also become more proactive in targeting migrant
workers to enhance competitiveness and to address labor shortages. Policy-
makers in source countries have also altered their orientation to labor
migration.
 02. International Migration:
Dimension and Trends
The term migrant is widely used but has different meanings and
can be measured in different ways. In some countries such as the United
States, Canada and Australia data on immigrants is based mainly on the
criteria of a person being foreign-born, while in the EU more emphasis is
placed on the person being a foreign-national.

These criteria generate different data and many countries

now provide figures for both foreign-born and foreign-nationals.
 02. International Migration:
Dimension and Trends

There is an important difference between flows and stocks.

Flow figures provide data on current trends in inflows and

outflows with the balance known as net migration,
while the stock of migrants in a country at a specific point of time
indicates the longer-term impact of migrants within a specific
population.
 02. International Migration:
Dimension and Trends
Policy-makers and employers are also interested in
understanding motives for mobility as this has consequences
for the length of stay. In some cases migrants are seeking
permanent settlement while for others only a temporary stay
is envisaged,

For example, the majority of students studying abroad. A

relatively small proportion of migrants are escaping political or
religious persecution, while larger numbers move to be reunited
with family members and many move to work.
 03. What shapes Migration?

Migration has been analyzed from a variety of

disciplinary perspectives with limited consensus about its
causes and consequences (Massey et al. 1998), but
without a clear understanding of why migration occurs,
government and other stakeholder attempts to shape
migration are likely to fall short of achieving policy
objectives.
 03. What shapes Migration?

• First, migrants often fill jobs that are unappealing.

These jobs are not always low-paid but they

usually denote low status and unpleasant working
conditions with few opportunities for advancement.
These jobs are frequently spurned by native-born
workers because of their low status and the stigma
attached to undertaking particular jobs.
 03. What shapes Migration?

• Second, employers respond to labor shortages by

using migrant labor.

Employers are very reluctant to raise wages to

alleviate shortages because of the impact on the wage
structure with higher-paid workers seeking to restore
wage differentials.
 03. What shapes Migration?

• Finally, employers also have a significant influence on

immigration policy

because they have a strong common interest in

maintaining an open immigration regime and expend
resources to lobby for such policies.
By contrast, opponents of immigration policy
have diverse interests and may be influenced by
immigration in diffuse and intangible ways, limiting
effective opposition.
04. The Impact of Migration
• Wages and Employment

The impact of migration is very dependent on the skill

levels of migrants and also differs between the short and long run.

Immigration may reduce wages by increasing labor supply

but this in turn will increase the return to employers of investing
in new productive facilities, boosting the demand and hence the
wages of the workforce.
04. The Impact of Migration
• HR Implications

Employers are seen as one of the main beneficiaries and

key advocates of an open immigration policy.

Employers have always drawn on migrant labor to

address labor shortages, relying on them to fill jobs in low wage
sectors such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, care work
and food processing.
05. Worker and Trade Union
Responses
Some of the advantages of employing migrant labor for employers,
such as low wages and the flexibility that arises from being accommodated by
the employer, are identified as disadvantages by migrant workers.

Three factors have an important influence on their experience of employment.

1. Unfamiliarity with the labor market and employment rights increases

their vulnerability in the labor market. In some cases, this can relate to their
treatment by their supervisors and co-workers with under-utilization of their
skills a common complaint.
05. Worker and Trade Union
Responses
2. The degree to which migrants are protected by employment law,
which is itself influenced by their immigration status, has an important
bearing on their vulnerability in the workplace. If an individual is working
without authorization, i.e. illegally, workers are deprived of their
employment rights.

3. A third influence on the experience of employment stems from the

recruitment channels used in the employment of migrants. Migrants often
gain access to the labor market by drawing on networks or what are
sometimes termed ethnic enclaves to gain employment.
06. Conclusion
International migration has created winners and losers.
Employers are the key beneficiaries, ensuring that they recruit to
hard-to-fill posts, gain a relatively compliant and hard-working
workforce, and often benefit from a more highly qualified workforce
at lower cost than would otherwise be the case. Nonetheless the
integration of a more diverse workforce, the need to get to grips
with complex immigration regulations, and the response of co-
workers and customers to the migrant workforce all raise new
challenges for employers.
For migrants themselves, the decision to migrate is
frequently a constrained choice reflecting dismal employment
prospects in the source country and growing global inequality that
reinforces the impulse to migrate to a higher-income country.
Thank you!