northern Mediterranean EU countries, 2018

94 b U ilding resilient migr A tion s Y stems in t H e mediterr A ne A n region

In the European Union (EU) countries of the northern Mediterranean, migrants make up 8–37 percent of the workforce in key low-skill jobs, including cleaners, construction workers, machine operators, and personal care workers. In the key high-skill occupations, they account for more than 6 percent of the workforce in information and communication technology (ICT), science and engineering, health, and teaching (figure 3.1).

Labor shortages and migrants: the prepandemic picture

In Europe, the COVID-19 crisis might have exacerbated preexisting labor shortages in both high- and low-skill occupations. Before the pandemic, there was a

Figure 3.1 Share of foreigners in key occupations, by place of birth, in selected northern Mediterranean EU countries, 2018

Low-Skilled Marked-oriented skilled agriculture Physical and engineering science technicians ICT technicians

Refuse workers

Personal service workers

Drivers and mobile-plant operators Food processing Personal care

High-Skilled Stationary-plant and related operators Mining and construction laborers Cleaners and helpers Teaching professionals Health professionals (excl. nursing) Nursing professionals Health associate professionals Science and engineering professionals ICT professionals

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Share of foreign workers (%) EU-28 foreigners Third-country nationals

Source: european Union labor Force survey (eU-lFs) 2018 data from eurostat (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat). Note: the northern mediterranean european Union (eU) countries include Cyprus, Croatia, France, greece, italy, malta, slovenia, and spain. eU-28 countries include the United kingdom, which subsequently withdrew from eU on January 31, 2020. Following Fasani and mazza (2020), “high-skill” occupations are defined as those in which the workforce’s median education level is above international standard Classification of education (isCed) level 3 (upper secondary education), while “low-skill” occupations are those in which the median education level is equal to or below isCed level 3. iCt = information and communication technology.