China, India make up for 25% international students in OECD region

LONDON: Individuals from China and India make up one-fourth of total international students in the OECD region, a grouping of mostly developed nations. These students are also an important source of future labour migration, Paris-based think tank OECD said today.

"The share of migrants from Asia among immigrants to OECD countries rose from 27 per cent in 2000 to 31 per cent in 2010, with China alone accounting for about 10 per cent. "China and India between them also account for 25 per cent of international students in OECD countries," OECD said.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a grouping of 34 nations that include the US, the UK and Germany. According to its report titled 'The 2012 International Migration Outlook', OECD nations might be getting lesser number of skilled workers from Asia since that region itself is developing.

"In the long-term, as Asia develops and offers more attractive jobs locally and itself attracts more skilled workers from abroad, OECD countries will be less able to rely on this steady stream of skilled workers," the report noted.

Over the past decade, new immigrants accounted for 70 per cent of the increase in labour force in Europe and 47 per cent in the US. In the wake of global financial meltdown, long term unemployment has gone up significantly among immigrants, especially in Europe.

"The jobs crisis is putting more immigrants at risk of marginalisation. Between 2008 and 2011, the number of youth not in employment, education or training... rose sharply among migrants," OECD said.

The report said that international migration fell for the third consecutive year in 2010 but started picking up in 2011. "...permanent migration into OECD countries fell by about 2.5 per cent in 2010 from the previous year, to 4.1 million people," it added.

OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said that labour market developments and migration flows are closely linked. The decline in labour demand has been the driving force behind the fall in migration during the crisis and not restrictions imposed by migration policies, he pointed out.

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