3 reasons why migration is — literally — an asset

Migration is often surrounded by preconceived ideas. To see more clearly, let's find out three facts.

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Migration. A word that triggers an immediate reaction in public debate. What is the image that most often comes to mind? An overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean. We think far less often of the expatriate building an international career or the healthcare worker who performs essential work every day.

Yet, all these journeys are forms of migration. Migrants do not form a homogeneous group; they are very different people with varied backgrounds, training, and reasons for settling elsewhere.

Migration is often surrounded bymisconceptions. To see things more clearly, let’s discover three facts that change how we view this reality.

Why is migration an asset?

1. ✅ Migration does not reduce professional opportunities for the local population

Experts agree that migration does not create more competition in the job market and does not lead to an increase in unemployment for the local population. In fact, the National Bank noted in 2020 that it affects neither the wages nor the well-being of non-migrant workers (1).

Migrants also contribute to the economy as consumers, which stimulates activity and fosters job creation. They are also more often independent entrepreneurs than people not from a migrant background, which translates into new businesses and additional jobs (2).

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2. ✅ Migration helps offset an aging population

Migration is increasing worldwide, largely driven by globalization. Yet, we often have an exaggerated idea of the number of migrants in our country. Out of every ten inhabitants, eight are Belgian by birth, one holds a foreign nationality, and one is of foreign origin but has been naturalized. More than half of residents with foreign nationality come from Europe (3).

Each year, more people enter the country than leave it, which causes the population to grow despite the decline in the number of births. The Belgian population is aging rapidly, while migrants are mostly of working age. Without them, the ratio of the working-age population to the elderly population would be much lower, which would further increase the financial pressure on pensions (4)

3. ✅ Migration contributes positively to public finances

Nearly half of Belgians (48%) believe that migrants use social and health services more than they contribute through taxes (2). The figures show the opposite. The National Bank of Belgium has demonstrated that migration increases GDP per capita by 0.7%, with a positive impact for both migrants of European origin and those from other regions of the world (1).

Since the migrant population is younger, it is more represented among the working population and less present among retirees. However, pensions and healthcare together represent a significant burden on social security (10.7% of GDP is spent on pensions). (2)

The costs associated with hosting migrants are often overestimated: they account for approximately 0.14% of total public spending and, at the same time, stimulate economic activity by boosting employment. Furthermore, nearly half of asylum seekers are employed and contribute to taxes and social security (2).

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Facilitating access to employment is a win-win

Migration is an essential component of a healthy, forward-looking economy. Migrants form a diverse and growing group: in Belgium, about half are EU citizens, while the other half come from non-EU countries. Their presence helps mitigate the effects of an aging population, strengthens the economy, and supports job creation and innovation.

Yet, a significant portion of this talent remains untapped. Migrants are generally young, and therefore of working age, but they are also more frequently looking for work or employed in precarious jobs. These are valuable resources that are still too often overlooked, even though they represent considerable potential within the workforce.

At DUO for a JOB, we have supported over 10,000 young people from non-EU backgrounds to unlock their potential and enable them to access concrete professional opportunities. 70% of them (re)discover, thanks to our program, the path to employment. Mentoring helps remove barriers to work and ensures that these talents find their place in the job market.

Facilitating access to employment for migrants is not only socially just, but also contributes to strengthening public finances in the long term.

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