Legal migration – Skills and talents package

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the Skills and Talent package which takes a constructive and coherent approach to migration and responds to the need to improve the Union's instruments for regular migration. With the digital and green transitions gathering pace and at a time when labour and skills shortages are evident across all sectors of economic activity, the EESC emphasises the role that legal migration can play in helping to address labour and skills shortages in areas where there is a proven need;
• appreciates the Commission's recognition of the crucial role that migrants already play in the European economy and society, as they help to meet the needs of the evolving labour market and - where necessary - overcome labour and skills shortages: a change of perspective with a normalising and positive discourse is very important;
• welcomes the fact that the inflow of talent from third countries is being facilitated in order to help meet these growing needs, particularly in sectors with structural shortages;
• without undermining its importance, suggests that the narrative linking the arrival of non-EU workers to the needs of the Member States' labour markets should be examined in order to prevent under-employment of and poor working conditions for newly arrived non-EU workers;
• considers it necessary to make progress on the Talent Pool and points out that the success and outreach of the Talent Pool will depend on the deployment of adequate resources to make the tool accessible and operational;
• welcomes the Talent Partnerships and considers that they need to be developed in cooperation with third countries. It calls for adequate evaluation mechanisms to be put in place, ensuring visibility and transparency in the implementation of the Talent Partnerships;
• believes that the protection of women's rights and the gender perspective need to be more strongly mainstreamed;
• underlines the importance of involving the social partners and other relevant stakeholders in discussion on improving the governance of labour migration at EU level. To this effect it welcomes the creation of the proposed platform for dialogue at EU level.