Migration is a reality that dates back to ancient times, when the search for food or housing forced human beings to move from one place to another, with the purpose of improving their quality of life and that of their family. Talking about migration today is generally associated with socioeconomic crises or political persecution as the main causes. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated in its 2020 report that the number of international migrants was almost 272 million worldwide, 51 million more than in 2010.
As migration has increased, the debate between its positive and negative aspects has become more and more intense. Much is said about the negative aspects of migration, but these statements are totally biased, as well as being influenced by the, one might say, xenophobic aspect, which sees migrants as a danger to the society and economy of the country to which they move. A series of “possibilities” is not enough to make a judgement in this debate; little or nothing is said about the data that show that migration is a factor that contributes positively to the economic and social development of a country.
In 2015, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) indicated that the contribution of migrants to global GDP was approximately 6.7 trillion dollars, equivalent to 9.4% of global GDP in 2015. Despite this, governments ignore these figures and continue to promote fallacies to the population to justify the implementation of restrictive policies and to ensure that these are accepted by society.
Migration produces numerous economic, social and cultural advantages that can be summed up as “more people, more diversity, more ideas, more actions.” However, it is worth mentioning those that are commonplace, as visible examples that allow for objective understanding. Economic dynamism is one of the greatest contributions of migration, as it allows for the development of more human capital. In 2006, it was estimated in the European Union that 25% of high-tech companies, which generated sales of over a million dollars, were created by migrants.
Migrants can become entrepreneurs who contribute to the creation of jobs for both residents and foreigners. In terms of employment, migrants promote wage competitiveness and fill gaps in the labor market, due to the low demand for some jobs due to low wages or the availability of qualified personnel to perform them.
In countries like the United States and Spain, it is very common for immigrant communities to form, doing field work or working in complex environments that local citizens are rarely willing to resist. Migrants are in charge of harvesting a crop of some basic grain, which, if they were not willing to work, would probably result in considerable losses that would cause the cost of the product to increase in the medium term. Beyond promoting the idea that migration is totally harmful, governments should find a viable solution for everyone.
Since it is useless to ask governments to make an effort to define mechanisms to promote the development of migration policies, in such a way that they foster social cohesion between their citizens and foreigners who decide to form part of the same society, it is necessary that they be the main promoters of the integration of migrants, in addition to the main actors in terms of the dissemination of information that facilitates the eradication of erroneous paradigms regarding migration issues.