It has been shown that migrants pay more in taxes than what they are provided as benefits with labour migration tending to be highly valuable in terms of contributions. The receiving state can devise education programs for migrants that fill the evolving employment requirements in its economy.
In terms of occupations that are declining, OECD data from 2012 shows that migrants have made up a quarter of jobs required in these occupations. When the native workforce moves away from these professions or positions, migrants fill the need and keep these positions and the businesses functioning. In occupations that are on the upswing, immigrants made up 15 percent of the workforce.
Immigrants with lower education have especially been noted as contributing more than absorbing in terms of the overall fiscal balance (Liebig and Mo, 2013). This is something that is quite opposite to the common understanding. Even when the contributions (taxes and others) are not quite as high when compared to the benefits received, it has been revealed to be due to the lower wages they are making and not related to higher intake of benefits. In particular, labour migration tends to lead to a healthier fiscal balance, with more contributions than received benefits.
With Asylum seekers, a 2016 report of the EU had estimated that the maximum effect on GDP of Member States from handling and integrating people seeking protection would be 0.6 percent. It had also been stated that the lower end of the estimates, of 0.1 percent, would be the most probable actual effect.
Dinesh Kumar
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