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The identification of shortages in the labour market and the respective supply needs by third country nationals is registered by region and in particular by regional unity and employment specialization. According to the National Strategy for the Integration of Third Country Nationals emphasis should be given to the integration of migrants already in the country, due to the economic crisis. It becomes evident through the joint ministerial decisions that in 2014 positions for which third country nationals were requested amounted to 9521 in total. The majority of these refer to the primary sector, namely workers in the fields of agriculture, fisheries and livestock. As estimated in this study, the establishment of a specialized monitoring mechanism is advisable in order to review the effects of migration policy on employment in conjunction with shortages in the Greek labour market. Its outcome would allow for coherent conclusions regarding the need - or the absence - of foreign manpower in the Greek labour market. While shortages in the Greek labor market are registered, there is currently no policy tool or monitoring mechanism to assess the effects of migration policy on employment and the migration issues that arise.

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Aim: The main objective of this investigation is to explore perceived lack of Lithuanian STEM labour force supply. It is often believed that education systems are the bottleneck of economic growth and that by increasing the supply of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) graduates we will get more and better payed jobs. But a growing body of evidence suggests that in many STEM fields there is an adequate supply or even oversupply of STEM majors. Still, technologically advanced capitalist countries advocate for more STEM workforce regardless of an overcrowded market. Echoing foreign neoliberal trends, Lithuanian education policy makers are on the same STEM shortage hype-train, and reforms are full steam ahead. Methods: To explore perceived lack of Lithuanian STEM labour force supply an assessment of STEM graduates' (n=3720) occupational destinations one year after graduation and average salaries in those professions was conducted employing a descriptive statistical analysis.

Results: Findings show that there is no general shortage of STEM labour supply; the majority (54 per cent n=2023) of all recent STEM degree holders in Lithuania do not work in STEM jobs. The majority of graduates usually do not reach national average income one year after graduation. Conclusions: Persuasion of students to study STEM degrees based on better labour market outcomes is misleading and possibly unethical. The principal theoretical implication of this paper is the acknowledgment that low STEM graduate employment does not necessarily signify a failing education system. Rather, this is an opportunity to look beyond human capital and labour market discourse which, arguably, prevents STEM education to realize its revolutionary potential.

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This research was commissioned by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent, non-statutory, non-time limited, non-departmental public body that advises the UK government on migration issues. The research examines and seeks to explain the variation in the recruitment of non-European Economic Area (EEA) nurses at trust level in the National Health Service (NHS) in England, drawing on evidence from quantitative analysis of available data, as well as qualitative interviews with NHS trusts and health sector experts. The aims of this research are to: (1) investigate available data to identify any particular trust-level characteristics which might indicate likelihood to recruit from outside the EEA; (2) investigate the differential recruitment of non-EEA nurses among some NHS trusts, and the reasons for this; and (3) provide a broader overview of current nursing shortages and how they have come about.

The focus of the research was the NHS in England because data constraints make it difficult to extend quantitative analysis uniformly across the UK, and most of the Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) were issued in England. This report is structured as follows: chapter two provides a broad overview and policy context of nursing shortages in the UK and how they have come about; chapter three details the key quantitative results of the research; chapter four details the key qualitative evidence; and chapter five identifies policy responses to preventing future nursing shortages.

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The Dutch labour market is strong but very tight. The unprecedently fast recovery from the [Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)] pandemic, fast-changing skill demand, low hours worked, and the segmentation of the labour market contribute to labour shortages, weighing on growth potential and jeopardising the green and digital transitions. To tackle shortages, lifting labour supply is a necessary complement to raising productivity, as labour-saving innovation alone is unlikely to significantly reduce overall labour demand. Lowering the effective tax rate on moving from part-time to full-time employment and streamlining income-dependent benefits while improving access to childcare would both increase labour input and reduce gender inequalities in career prospects, incomes, and social protection. Narrowing regulatory gaps between regular and non-standard forms of employment further would alleviate shortages by facilitating transitions between occupations. Better integrating people with a migrant background and easing medium-skill labour migration in specific occupations would help to fill vacancies, especially those related to the lowcarbon transition. Scaling up the individualised training scheme while ensuring quality and providing stronger incentives for co-financing by employers would boost the supply of skills and promote growth in expanding industries. Rewarding teachers in schools where shortages are significant and facilitating mobility between vocational and academic tracks would improve equality in education and better prepare the future workforce.

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Skilled migration is one of the policy levers available to governments to address workforce shortages in the economy. This issue of Focus on explores how skilled migration is utilised by governments globally to address skill and labour shortages; how effective policies and procedures that recognise and validate qualifications and credentials gained overseas can facilitate the integration of skilled migrants and refugees in destination labour markets; and the impact the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on skilled migration around the world.

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Migration studies analysing firms’ recruitment behaviour are quite limited. This article, built around and examining a demand-driven labour migration hypothesis explores how recruitment decisions by companies can affect international migratory flows. The study focuses on the construction industry, where a foreign (non-domestic, or expatriate) labour force forms a major component. Through a cross-country comparison, we highlight the impact of the characteristics of the sector and of labour market conditions on recruitment decisions impinging on foreign (non-domestic, or expatriate) labour. The article finally suggests a typology of strategies that construction companies may adopt in order to recruit foreign workers, and it analyses those factors that influence the different decisions in each national context. By considering in depth the relationship between recruitment strategies and patterns of international labour mobility, it is then explained why a company’s behaviour can either produce immobility or mobility of foreign workers.

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To [the authors'] knowledge, this paper provides the first study evaluating the effects of higher education for adults on the timing of retirement. Using detailed longitudinal population register data 1982-2010, [the authors] track first-time enrollees in higher education in 1992-1993. [The authors'] sample is aged 42-55 at the time of enrollment and thus aged 60-73 in 2010. [The authors] find that higher education increases labor market survival rates when aged 61-66 by about five percentage points. The estimates represent relatively large effects. Tentative calculations indicate that if enrollment occurs at age 42, the retirement delay represents about one per cent in yearly earnings returns per year of tertiary education.

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Labour shortages or mismatches are a major factor inhibiting investment and economic development across [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] APEC. In order to establish an appropriate regional response to the supply of skilled labour it is necessary to adopt a comprehensive strategy for monitoring labour force demand and supply across the APEC region. This report outlines the reasoning.

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The aim of the study is to examine and present, whether Slovenia is faced with labour shortages in certain professions (so-called shortage occupations) and to what extent it addresses this problem by encouraging the immigration of workers from third countries. Key highlights of the study can be summarized as follows: (1) The key strategic document of the Republic of Slovenia that deals with labour immigration is 'The strategy of economic migration for the period from 2010 to 2020'. In this document immigration is regarded as one of the possible instruments to tackle the problem of labour shortages and certain professions in Slovenia; (2) 'The strategy of economic migration for the period from 2010 to 2020' is primarily focused on attracting highly skilled migrant workers and partly also touches upon the problem of the lack of low-skilled and skilled workforce, which is mostly a problem that the Slovenian companies are facing at the moment;

(3) Since 2011, Slovenia uses the instrument of labour market tests in the employment of foreigners from third countries. A work permit for the employment of a third country national is granted only if there are no adequate domestic unemployed persons in the records of the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia or persons who in respect of employment have rights equal to citizens of the Republic of Slovenia; (4) In Slovenia shortage occupations are defined as occupations for which there is a deficiency of workers in the labour market according to the needs and demands of the employers; (5) The Slovenian legislation provides for the possibility that in cases of shortage occupations and professions, measures may be adopted to facilitate the procedures for issuing work permits to nationals of third countries for the purpose of employment in these occupations. Currently such facilitated procedures are not in force;

(6) 'The strategy of economic migration for the period from 2010 to 2020' provides for the development and establishment of a mechanism for accurate and efficient analysis of labour shortages and for the examination and development of a monitoring system for temporary labour shortages by economic activities and timeframe. Slovenia is currently in the process of setting up such a mechanism and control system. In 2014 and 2015 collecting information about the needs of employers and the labour shortages in Slovenia was financed through a project, which was concluded in June 2015; (7) In the economic sphere in Slovenia the need for low and medium-skilled workers prevails; and (8) The problem of shortage occupations in Slovenia is mainly addressed through employment policy, education and scholarships policy, rather than through a policy of labour migration.

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Over the next 50 years, population aging will contribute to a dramatic decline in the European working age population. One important question for policy makers is to what extent an increase in labour force participation of migrants, their descendants, and women can compensate for the decline in labour supply. Thus it is relevant to know more about the factors which can encourage participation of these groups. In this report [the authors] examine the employment of second generation (children of immigrants) Turkish and young adult women from the majority population. [The authors] focus on the Turkish group since it is the largest single origin country group who also settled in different European countries allowing for examining differences among the second generation across countries of residence by using unique data allowing for this for the first time.

This report covers four European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Sweden) in which the largest share of the total Turkish population in Europe live. [The authors] give special attention to the effect of motherhood on employment. [The] findings show that policy and institutions matter for the employment of all women in society, irrespective of migrant origin. Still, levels of employment are lower for the Turkish second generation compared to women from the majority group in all countries. Being a mother has a negative impact on employment, but [the authors] do not find this association to vary by origin. Furthermore [the authors] find clear differences across the countries studied but again these differences are similar for women of the majority population and those of Turkish origin. Although [the authors] are unable to pinpoint the exact policies and institutional arrangements it seems to be the case that these are related to policies across the life course starting from educational to family policies. Findings make clear that policymakers must give special attention to the unique economic position and potential of women in general and the growing share of children of immigrants among them, whose employment behaviours will be essential to bolstering the European labour force in the future.

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