Permanent migration to OECD countries hit a new record in 2023, with 6.5 million migrants arriving. The number of temporary migrants and asylum seekers has also risen sharply, according to a new OECD report.
International Migration Outlook 2024 says that most of the 2023 increase in permanent-type migration was driven by family migration (+18%). Humanitarian migration (+20%) also rose. Permanent labour migration to OECD countries remained at a high level in 2023 with just under 1.2 million workers, as in 2022.
About a third of OECD countries experienced record immigration levels in 2023, including Canada, France, Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Another third recorded a drop in inflows, including Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Italy, Lithuania and New Zealand.
“Buoyant labour demand has been a key driver of migration over the past two years,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “Many OECD countries are facing widespread labour shortages and looming demographic changes and growing numbers of labour migrants have contributed to sustained economic growth. Increasing the accessibility and availability of labour migration channels contributes to addressing labour shortages and is essential to strengthening overall control of flows and managing irregular migration.”
Temporary labour migration to OECD countries continued to grow. More than 2.4 million work permits and authorisations were granted in OECD countries (excluding Poland) representing a 16% year-on-year increase (28% above pre-COVID levels).
The post-pandemic upward trend in immigrant employment continued into 2023, with the OECD overall seeing both historically high levels of employment and low levels of unemployment, at 71.8% and 7.3%, respectively. Ten OECD countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the EU27 overall, had the highest immigrant employment rates on record.
The number of new asylum seekers to OECD countries broke a new record in 2023, with 2.7 million new applications registered across OECD countries (+30%). For the first time, the number of asylum applications in the United States (more than 1 million) surpassed those in European OECD countries taken together. The top origin countries for asylum applicants within the OECD in 2023 were Venezuela (270 000), Colombia (203 000), Syria (171 000), and Afghanistan (150 000).
Altogether, OECD countries granted international protection to 676 000 refugees in 2023 (+15%) – the highest level since 2017. This includes 160 000 new resettled refugees (+35%), the highest number since 2016.
This year’s Outlook includes a special focus on immigrant entrepreneurship. Migrants represent a growing share of total entrepreneurs in OECD countries. In 2022, 17% of the self-employed in OECD countries on average were migrants, up from 11% in 2006.
This increase translated into significant job creation. There are an estimated additional 2 jobs in the economy for every 10 additional migrants in the working age population through entrepreneurship, on average across 25 OECD countries. Migrant entrepreneurship added almost 4 million jobs from 2011 to 2021.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact Stefano Scarpetta, Director of the Directorate of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (tel: + 33 1 45 24 19 88), or Jean-Christophe Dumont (tel: + 33 1 45 24 92 43), Head of the OECD International Migration Division, or the OECD Media Division (tel. + 33 1 45 24 97 00).
Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.