Increase in immigration calls for change in opinions and attitudes

Wednesday, 01 April 2015
Photo: Terje Lepp/norden.ee

The extensive period of emigration is coming to an end and Estonian society should get ready for increasing immigration – which calls for a significant change in opinions and attitudes. Such was the message communicated by the presentations made at the Nordic-Baltic Labour Migration Conference held in Tallinn on 27 March. Increasing immigration keeps raising the question of how many and what kind of skilled workers Estonia will need in the future.

At present, ca 50% of immigration to Estonia comprises Estonians returning home, which is why we should not expect immigration to have any negative economic or social impact on Estonia, remarked University of Tartu professors Tiit Tammaru and Raul Eamets. However, one can expect immigration by non-Estonians to increase.

The influence of right-wing and populist parties has increased all over Europe as a result of the fear caused by immigration, and the first signs of this are being seen in Estonian society as well, said MEP Marju Lauristin. She also emphasised the importance of intercultural dialogue. The ability to communicate and understand each other creates the necessary basis for innovation, stressed Professor Rainer Kattel from Tallinn University of Technology. Different ways of thinking and cultural backgrounds are the foundation of all kinds of innovative ideas, so Estonia should regard immigration as an important development opportunity.

"Blaming all problems on immigration is far too easy, but it's also dangerous, because it spreads intolerance," added Christer Haglund, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia. "This way, we scare away valuable talent every country in the world is competing for. We miss out on skills, money and people who also enrich us intellectually."

It's difficult to find an obvious answer to the need for foreign workers, and the focus should be on the creation of profiles of the skills that are needed. Sector-based analysis of skills is a good solution, said Kristina Kallas from the Institute of Baltic Studies.

Internationalisation of education

Estonia should look at its southern neighbours as an example in terms of the impact education has on return migration. Kersti Kivirüüt, a senior expert with the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, introduced the success of the return migration policy of Lithuania, where return migration comprises 86% of total immigration.

The National Audit Office has prepared an overview of migration policy choices, and the one outlined by Liisi Uder concerned the situation of foreign students in Estonia. An important fact that should be considered when the study programmes of Estonia institutions of higher education are marketed is that the majority of people who decide to live and work in Estonia after graduating are from neighbouring countries. Estonia should therefore focus on Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian and Russian students, who are more likely to want to contribute to the Estonian labour market.

Role of data in studies of migration flows

Using data is the only way to objectively determine what migration flows are like, how many people are leaving, how many of them leave for good and how many people come in. The extensive study of the Latvian diaspora outlined by Professor Mihails Hazans shows that a good survey of compatriots living abroad can be organised. A study like this can be used to draw relevant political conclusions and create programmes that can entice back compatriots who have left.

Head of the Finnish Centre of Expertise on Immigrant Integration Annika Forsander said that even the highly praised Nordic registers contain a lot of redundant information and data noise. That is why it is difficult for Finns to obtain an overview of commuting, which also concerns the estimated 30,000 foreign workers from Estonia who are not recognised in statistics.

The analysis of the impact of reforming the Migration Act established in Sweden in 2008 which was carried out by Professor Pieter Bevelander from Malmö University proved the importance of data. The purpose of the reform was to mitigate demographic problems and labour shortages in certain sectors, but the given amendments failed to achieve their objectives. This could only be ascertained due to the existence of the necessary data, i.e. it plays an important role in the monitoring and assessment of political programmes.

IT developments in the area and the resulting existence of diversified data give a completely new dimension to migration. Rein Ahas, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Tartu, said that roaming data from mobile phones does not only provide new knowledge, but new dimensions to existing definitions. Mobile positioning data make it possible to enter a whole new world in migration studies.

Feeling at home

The resounding keyword at the conference – which is also a perfect end note – is 'feeling at home'. The existence of and the value attributed to this feeling makes it possible to predict how many people will leave and why some do not. Creating this feeling in people makes them less likely to leave; equally, if this feeling is strong enough, people who have left are more likely to return.

The overview of the conference was prepared by Häli Ann Reintam, a Master's student from the University of Tartu.

 

The third labour migration conference, held at Kumu art museum in Tallinn on 27 March, was a continuation of the project on labour migration in the Nordic countries and Baltic States and population developments related to it launched by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2013. The conference was held in cooperation with the Institute of Baltic Studies; Nordregio; the Estonia Ministry of Social Affairs; the Estonian Ministry of Culture; the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Danish, Swedish and Finnish embassies; and other partners.

A video of the entire conference can be viewed on the website of daily Postimees.

Photos from the conference can be viewed in our photo gallery. You will find the presentations made at the conference here.

2015 conference in the media

  • Postimees: Raul Eamets, Tiit Tammaru: International migration trends in Estonia
  • ERR: Terevisioon morning news
  • ERR: Vikerraadio news
  • ERR: Radio 4 news
  • ERR: Aktuaalne Kaamera, TV news
  • Seitsmesed uudised (TV3): Estonia would only benefit from increasing migration
  • Newspaper Pealinn: Rainer Kattel: Migration would help Estonian economy grow
  • Newspaper Pealinn: University of Tartu professor: Immigrants promote economic development
  • Novaator.err: Demographer: Immigration growing strongly in shadow of emigration
  • Tallinna TV: Ivar Raig: Nordic countries are ignoring threats arising from immigration
  • Regional newspaper Pärnu Postimees: Meelis Kukk: Feeling at home brings back home

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