While OECD countries have made progress over the last decade in helping immigrants to adapt to their new home countries, there’s still much room for improvement most notably in helping children to excel at school and employ more immigrant women, according to an OECD report.
The proportion of highly educated immigrants in Finland had plummeted during the last decade by about 10%. The fall is far greater than in other Nordic countries.
One explanation for the large drop is that in 2000 the proportion of refugees was higher than immigrants in Finland, Ministry of Employment and the Economy Kristina Stenman was quoted as saying on Uusi Suomi.
In 2000, Finland’s foreign population totaled 91,074 (1.8% of the total population) compared with 183,133 (3.4%) in 2011-12, according to the Population Register Center.
The OECD report highlights the importance of immigrant children starting school early in their new homeland. Governments need to encourage immigrants who plan to settle to bring their families early.
Considering that Finland and some European countries have tightened family reunification rules, it’s clear that the integration of some children is being compromised
“Many offspring of immigrants find themselves marginalized in the labour market and are overrepresented among those not in education, employment or training [the so-called NEET group], particularly in Spain, Belgium, Austria and France,” the report states.
Countries hard hit by the global economic crisis have seen job rates fall among immigrants. In the United States from 70% to 67% and in Spain from 62% to 57%.