An EU Talent Pool

The EU is punching below its weight in the international race for talents. Compared to other OECD countries, the EU only attracts a small share of highly qualified migrants from abroad. In September 2020, the European Commission announced a New Pact on Migration and Asylum and committed to explore the development of an “EU Talent Pool” aimed at meeting labour needs and improving Europe’s ability to attract sought-after skills. This EU-wide platform for international recruitment would allow skilled non-EU workers to express their interest in migrating to the EU and be identified by EU migration authorities and employers based on their needs. The idea of an “EU Talent Pool” springs from prior OECD analysis on the gaps in talent attraction at the EU level and the adaptability of Expression of Interest (EoI) systems to the EU context.

Following the Pact, the European Commission asked the OECD to conduct a feasibility study. The Report – available here – starts with several scenarios drawn from non-EU OECD countries including New Zealand and Canada and incorporating policy measures developed at the EU level. It assesses the legal, technical and practical feasibility of each outlined scenario, in light of consultations held with numerous stakeholders. It presents a revised provisional Talent Pool scenario and includes a cost-effectiveness analysis as well as recommendations on the actions required to develop the Talent Pool.

The Feasibility Study is referred to in the European Commission’s Communication on “Attracting Skills and Talent to the EU” on 27 April 2022.

KEY LINKS

OECD Report (2022): Feasibility Study on the Development of an EU Talent Pool
Summaries:
2019 OECD Report “Building an EU Talent Pool: A New Approach to Migration Management‎ for Europe”
2019 Migration Policy Debate "The Expression of Interest Model: What Lessons for Migration Management in the EU and elsewhere?"
European Commission’s Communication on “Attracting Skills and Talent to the EU”