Austrian Integration Policies Facilitating the Influx of Skilled Workers - Term Paper Example

Name of the Student] [Name of the Professor] [Name of the Course] [Date] Austrian Integration Polices Facilitating the Influx of Skilled Workers Introduction The recent immigration from the EU has produced a significant effect upon migration in Austria. Since, the past two decades, the immigration pattern of the 1960s and 1970s, wherein the principal migrants had been workers and their families from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey, no longer holds good. Immigration is primarily from the adjoining Member States of the EU, especially Germany. This is a significant issue, and the integration policy has to accord due weightage to it[Exp13]. Thus, integration policy has to bestow greater consideration upon EU citizens, whilst formulating integration measures, due to the fact that several of these individuals envisage integration challenges that are comparable to those experienced by migrants from third countries. Moreover, the divergent framework conditions demand the development of precise offers[Exp13].This entire exercise has to encourage participation and be in synchronisation with the varied requirements of the current and future immigration groups. The organisation of orientation and language courses have been central to successful integration, vis-à-vis the learning of the German language. As such, several immigrants have been seen to benefit from the wide range of language courses. Therefore, it would be in the fitness of things to develop special orientation courses that supplement the language courses that are provided as a component of the integration agreement. These orientation courses incorporate issues of co-existence. Moreover, they provide considerable information regarding the functions and structure of the Austrian government. Furthermore, these courses make available an overview of the basic values of the legal system, which underlies it. The purpose behind the delivery of fundamental information regarding the legal structure of Austria and replying to the open queries arising from the experience of individuals with dissimilar migratory histories is to excise disruptions to the process of integration[Exp13]. The above combination with the language courses would make it possible to interact with the immigrants who are resident in Austria and who are embarking upon the integration process in a holistic manner from the beginning. It has been suggested by the Expert Council that the existing provisions of the federal states should be scrutinised and assessed, in order to define a standard[Exp13]. In addition, a social organisational approach is provided by the anthropology of public policy. This method clarifies the procedures and arrangements that prepare, organise and impart direction to policies. As such, an ethnographer investigates the manner in which individuals, institutions, and organisations are interrelated and explore how policy discourses promote those associations[Wed05]. As such anthropology of public policy helps in preparing adequate policies in a scientific manner, vis-à-vis organisations or individuals in any identified sector, including education and employment. Austrian Integration Strategy The Austrian federal government’s integration strategy is epitomised by the National Action Plan for Integration. The aim of this plan is to optimise, consolidate and methodically develop the methods necessary for achieving the successful integration of civil organisations, social partners, local authorities, cities, states and the federal government[Exp13]. Austria has to concentrate upon its self-interests, with respect to immigration control. Obviously this would exclude asylum, flight and other forms of migrations that cannot be influenced by the state. Successful integration transpires when there is a migration policy that creates optimal conditions for the immigration of qualified individuals required by the domestic labour market. Austria administers immigration from third countries via the Red-White-Red Card. Several advantages, in the context of integration-politics have been realised through this card[Exp13]. Consequently, the Expert Council has recommended further development of this card. Moreover, the central issues that admit identification at present include; readjustment of income limits; acceptance of various contract forms, whilst establishing income; and widening the scope of the accepted class of graduates, by including the Bachelor’s degree qualification. In addition to improving the lucrativeness of Austria for attracting skilled foreign workers, emphasis has to be placed upon enhancing labour market integration of the domestic labour force[Exp13]. The initiative to transfer the integration department to the Federal Ministry for Integration, European and Foreign Affairs has furthered the cause of integration in Austria. This exercise has brought to the fore the diverse synergies that persist between international affairs and Austrian integration work. The objective has to necessarily be that of making available a broad spectrum of integration initiatives that commence in the country of origin with the provision of measures that acclimatise migrants for life in Austria. This should be done in an optimal manner and should remain in force until the arrival of these individual in Austria and thereafter. As such, integration exerts an influence upon every Austrian, and hence such initiatives should be regarded as a challenge to the entire Austrian society[Fed15]. The integration policies of the Federation, Social Partners, Cities, Local Authorities and Provincial Governments had been amalgamated, for the very first time, with the advent of the National Action Plan. As a consequence, this integration is a cross-sectional issue, and the associated framework conditions cannot be generated in the absence of the cooperation of all the stakeholders concerned[Fed151]. Vienna Labour Market Policies The Federal Government’s labour market policy is implemented by the Austrian Public Employment Service. Moreover, the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund provides the City of Vienna with an institution that addresses the specific challenges envisaged by its labour market and the Federal Government’s labour policy. This institution functions in close cooperation with the Vienna Labour Market Service and social partners to achieve these objectives[Wie13]. Moreover, the Viennese labour market policies concentrate chiefly upon the qualification of employees, and this has been in response to the contemporary developments in the labour market and economic forecasts. In this regard, the maximum importance is accorded to the Vienna 2020 Qualification Plan. This plan emerged from the vision of Renate Brauner, the Vice-Mayor of Vienna, and it is the culmination of the joint endeavour of the various stakeholders involved with the formulation of education and labour market policies. This exercise was conducted under the aegis of the Wiener ArbeitnehmerInnen Förderungsfonds (waff) in the year 2012[Wie13]. The aim of this strategy is to diminish the proportion of individuals, whose highest level of education is compulsory school. As such, a substantial reduction is being sought in this proportion by the year 2020. One of the cardinal priorities of the Vienna 2020 Qualification Plan is to promote and preserve the unremitting development of the Vienna Vocational Training Guarantee[Wie13]. The ultimate aim is to provide outstanding vocational training for an increasing number of young persons, thereby vouchsafing better job opportunities to them. The service sector, at 39.7%, constitutes the largest sector of the economy of Vienna. On the other hand, the industrial sector occupies a mere 8% of the Viennese economy. The comparatively larger service sector results in a fifth of the workforce being directly employed in service occupation. Furthermore, another 25% of the Viennese workers are employed by the academic or related sector. Moreover, clerical workers constitute 11.4%, while the professionals and executives are limited to 4.8%. The proportion of the blue collar workers is approximately 13%, and that of the unskilled labourers is 9.2% of the economy[Koh14]. Anthropology of Public Policy The focus of an anthropology of policy is not limited to demonstrating marginalised, local or indigenous cultures to government agencies, related NGOs or policy makers. For example, scholars, such as Comaroff and Comaroff have claimed that locality does not denote every place or purpose, or the same thing. On occasion it denotes a family, town, nation, continent or the entire world. Frequently, locality is situated at the apex of articulation between these things[Com99]. This means that the term locality may be used to symbolise a family, town, nation or continent or the entire world. In this sense it can be claimed that policy makers will take into consideration several cultures, while taking a decision with respect to the policies for a locality. As such, an anthropology of policy tends to be seized with comprehending the cultures and global perspectives of the policy formulators and decision makers who endeavour to implement and preserve their individual vision of the world via their decisions and policies[Wed05]. The realm of policy studies has benefitted tremendously, due to the advent of the anthropology of policy, which constitutes a significant area of public policy. Policy studies suffering from the handicap of operating within a paradigm that accepts policy without exploring the cultural or conceptual underpinnings of its analytical postulates. In addition, there is an inclination to regard policy as an orderly, rational and clear cut group of flows and procedures that progresses methodically and rationally from the formulation and design state to that of implementation and appraisal. However, the formulation and execution of public policy is seldom a linear process with a predetermined result. On the other hand, policy activities, time and again, envisage unanticipated variables that frequently combine in unexpected ways with startling outcomes[Wed05]. As such, focus on policy induces anthropologists to review the areas for research, from the perspective that it should include organisations at the local and international levels, people, procedures and texts that pertain to the topic in question. Obviously, site and field cannot be deemed to be analogous. As such, policy constitutes a notion in society that has similar organising potential as family and society. The latter two have been vitally important to anthropology. Therefore, anthropology is not seized with the study of policies in isolation, such restrictive study being the preserve of public administration and organisation studies[Wri06]. The idea is to employ policy for visualising the processes of political transformation or to examine the product of the present. Thus, anthropology of policy is a technique for comprehending the processes of political transformation. It utilises policy as a window to analyse the contemporary state of policy. Anthropology of policy, per se, assists policy makers to scrutinise the outcomes of any policy. This in turn, helps policy makers in taking decisions regarding the formulation of policy. For instance, Austria has to make suitable policies to attract the highly skilled migrants from other countries. While making such policies, the policy makers have to consider several issues of the globalised world, including skill and language requirements. Under these circumstances, the process of anthropology of policy would be of great benefit. National Action Plan The National Action Plan constitutes the culmination of a comprehensive work process that includes the relevant Federal Ministries, Federal Provinces, Associations of Austrian Local Authorities and Cities, Social Partners, Federation of Industry and civil society organisations. Moreover, discussions pertaining to individual fields of action had been held concurrently, with 150 international and national experts, and with citizens and migrant organisations. These discussions transpired in the period from 2008 to 2009[Fed151]. The educational profile of individuals living in Austria, with a migration background is markedly different from that of the people who do not possess such an antecedent. In this manner, immigrants are represented disproportionately among the highest, as well as lowest education levels. The native Austrian population, per se, usually possesses an intermediate level of education, namely that of apprenticeship and professional training[Mig15]. This contrast has persisted over time, despite a substantial increase in the education levels of the foreign and the native Austrian populations. With respect to the foreign population, such improvement has been caused by the immigration of highly qualified individuals from the other Member States of the European Union (EU). In the year 2008, a language skills monitoring survey had been conducted. This survey disclosed that 90% of the German speaking children in the age range of 4.5 to 5.5 years, attending kindergarten, possessed language skills that were consistent with their age. On the other hand, 58% of the children of the same age range required remedial help, when their first language was other than German[Mig15]. In addition to improving the Austria’s position with respect to the competition for skilled foreign workers, it is necessary to engender labour market integration at a much greater level. Such integration pertains to the potential of the national labour force, and it has to necessarily include the migrant labour. It is indispensable to bring about better labour market integration of migrant workers[Exp13].Thus, labour market integration measures should necessarily focus on a better transition from education to the labour market. Integration through Language From the Austrian perspective, knowledge of the German language is central to achieving successful integration. At this juncture it is essential to realise that children learn a new language in a very short time. With increasing age, there is a corresponding increase in the time taken to learn a new language. This important issue has been neglected in Austria, and a suitable policy for every child in school has not been formulated. Similarly, no effort has been undertaken to promote multilingualism, whilst improving knowledge of the German language simultaneously[Exp13]. In fact, the institutions vested with this responsibility have failed to make progress, due to political pressures. It is in this context that the Expert Council has suggested that the language promotion programme that commences in the kindergarten has greater association with language promotion in primary school. It has also suggested that childcare providers and teachers should be familiarised with linguistic heterogeneity, and that children and young individuals who migrate to Austria, due to family reunification, should be assisted in entering the mainstream school system with the least possible delay[Exp13]. Red-White-Red Card With regard to the initial immigration process of third country nationals, the Red-White-Red Card provides a flexible control device. This card facilitates the categorisation of new immigrants into the classes of crucial manpower, individuals with shortage occupations and highly qualified persons. Specifically, the alternative provided to the highly qualified to enter Austria, in the absence of an offer of employment, search for employment and then apply for a Red-White-Red Card constitutes a major transition in immigration that is employer-defined[Exp13]. Another novel development is that of permitting students from third countries, who have the capacity to undertake employment concurrently with their academic pursuits, to enter Austria and to be granted six months residence after the completion of their studies, in order to seek employment that conforms to their training. It is with regard to this provision that the Expert Council has recommended an investigation into the adequacy of the six-month period for obtaining employment[Exp13]. Moreover, the initial salary required for qualifying for a Red-White-Red Card is quite high, and it is much higher than what the graduates of several degrees are paid. This calls for an expeditious review of the prerequisites specified for this card. In addition, it is necessary to consider that entry into professional careers transpires chiefly via special-order contracts and freelance service provision contracts, which the extant regulation does not permit[Exp13]. The Federal Minister of Labour collaborates with the Federal Minister of Economics, in order to promulgate shortage occupations, on an annual basis. The development of the Austrian labour market determines the occupations that are to be regarded as shortage occupations. The last date of submission of applications for a Red-White-Red Card has been declared as 5 November 2016[Aus155]. The occupations listed out in the sequel have been identified as shortage professions for the year 2016. First, milling machinists; second, metal turners; third, technicians with a higher level of training for mechanical engineering; fourth, roofers; fifth, graduate engineers from the mechanical engineering discipline; sixth, technicians with higher level of training for power engineering technology; seventh, graduates in power engineering; eighth, graduate nurses who commenced their complementary training in Austria, as of the end of 2015, and who have completed the same at the time of the application. This does not extend to individuals who are awaiting the relevant notification decision from the concerned authorities[Aus155]. Furthermore, the citizens of a third country can apply for a Red-White-Red Card, under the category of a skilled worker in a shortage occupation that is valid for 12 months. However, this is subject to the following conditions. First, these individuals have to submit evidence of having completed training in a shortage occupation. Second, they have to demonstrate that they had received a binding job offer in Austria and that the prospective employer had consented to pay them the minimum wage under the law, regulation or collective agreement. Third, these individuals should have obtained at least 50 points, as per the criteria stipulated by the Austrian authorities[Aus155]. [Nat151]. The above pie -graph indicates that the labour force had greater occupation in the services sector in 2009. This is in comparison to the less occupied agriculture and industrial sectors. Country Persons in employment Persons in high-skilled jobs Professionals Employed immigrants as a percentage of total employment Employed immigrants having arrived in previous ten years as new entrants Immigrants in high-skill jobs as a percentage of all persons in high-skill jobs Immigrants in high-skill jobs having arrived in previous ten years as a percentage of new entrants in high-skill jobs Immigrant professionals as percentage of all professionals in employment Immigrant professionals having arrived in previous ten years as a percentage of new entrant professionals Austria 15.4 17.1 11.2 12.6 14.7 18.0 Belgium 11.1 12.0 9.8 10.6 9.5 10.4 Switzerland 24.4 32.1 20.9 30.4 23.4 35.9 Czech Republic 1.5 3.0 1.5 2.4 2.1 4.3 Germany 13.3 12.7 9.0 7.5 9.4 9.4 Denmark 5.5 5.7 5.0 6.0 6.5 8.1 [Sta13]. [Ber142]. In the above graph, the employees with wages, lower than the median had reduced to 9%, in 2000, from 14% in 1995. However, this increased to 12.5 % in 2007. This fluctuation in employee wage structure indicates the inconsistent progress of worker development in Austria. Eligibility criteria for skilled workers Points Qualification Maximum of allowable points: 30 Completed vocational education/training in the shortage occupation 20 General elibigility for admission to a university 25 Completion of a programme with a minimum duration of three years at an institution of tertiary education 30 Work experience according to qualification Maximum of allowable points: 10 Work expeience (per year) 2 Work experience in Austria (per year) 4 Language skills Maximun of allowable points: 15 German: elementary use of the language on a basic level (A1 level), or English: independent use of the language (B1 level) 10 German: intensified elementary use of the language (A2 level), or English: intensified independent use of the language (B2 level) 15 Age Maximum of allowable points: 20 Up to 30 years of age 20 Up to 40 years of age 15 Sum total of maximum allowable points: 75 Required minimum: 50 [Aus155]. The recent immigrants have better representation at 14.5%, among the employed population, in comparison to all immigrants at 11%. This demonstrates the significance of immigration for the growth of employment during the past decade. Nevertheless, immigrants’ presence high skill jobs at 9.1% and specifically in professional occupation at 10.5% is less than their presence in employment, in its entirety [Cha09]. This illustrates the fact that migration to Europe is chiefly among the lower skilled workers. It also illustrates the difficulty that immigrants could undergo, during the recognition of their qualifications by their prospective employers in the country to which they migrate. [Sta13]. It has been stated by the majority of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations that they would be experiencing increasing shortages in highly skilled labour. The majority of these nations have brought in policies that encourage the recruitment of highly skilled workers[Cha09]. This trend depicts every sign of being continued in the future. Migrants, in the usual course, are regarded as being highly skilled, when they possess tertiary education, at the bare minimum. However, it is possible to describe highly skilled workers in other ways. This has been witnessed in some other nations and is based upon the wages earned, with the highly skilled workers being those who earn above a threshold wage[Cha09]. In addition, the recruitment of highly skilled workers from foreign countries is feasible via two primary methods. The first method is on account demand that emerges from employers’ requests. The second is generated by supply and entails inviting candidates to apply and thereafter searching for certain traits, in order to select a suitable candidate. These characteristics include, age, educational qualifications, language skills and present occupation. Such features are awarded points. Candidates with a point aggregate that is greater than the threshold level are permitted to establish residence[Cha09]. During the recent decades, supply driven systems have been displaying their limits, and the settlement nations have been experiencing greater difficulty in selecting suitable candidates for achieving success in the labour market. Apparently, employers accord a lesser value to work experience and qualifications procured in a non-OECD nation. As a consequence, unemployed immigrants are undergoing greater tribulations, whilst seeking employment that is proportionate to their experience and qualifications. There has been a substantial enhancement in the number of recent highly qualified immigrants who have procured employment. However, the proportion of the highly qualified workers among the contemporary immigrants has not undergone a corresponding increase. In fact, such increase has been approximately 10%, with the exception of Austria, Norway and Luxembourg. In some of the other nations, notably Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, the proportion of the highly skilled workers among the employed recent immigrants has been much less than what has been obtaining among the immigrants who had arrived in the decade ending in the year 1995[Cha09]. Conclusion It has been frequently contended that Austria requires the migration of highly skilled workers. The above discussion and data demonstrate that the migration of the lesser skilled workers has been greater in several of the OECD nations, including Austria during the past ten years, in comparison to the previous decade. There is no certainty regarding the endurance of this trend in the future. Strictly speaking, the migration of the highly qualified employees may be unable to circumvent the impact of demographic change. As such, the improved labour market integration of migrants is of great importance to Austrian society. Consequently, it constitutes a primary contribution to the subjective perception of integration. Therefore, measures to improve the integration of the labour market have to focus upon a better transition from theoretical knowledge and training to the labour market. Furthermore, there has to be recognition for informal and formal qualifications, post-qualification and flexibility in the rules. Thus, Austria can obtain highly skilled employees, by focussing upon specific skill training to the labour market, and by implementing flexible rules while recognising the qualifications of the workforce. In addition, Vienna has been a centre of attraction for migrants. Migration has a long history relating to Vienna, and its geographic location has rendered it an attractive destination for workers from neighbouring states. The service sector occupies the pride of place and constitutes the largest sector of the Viennese economy. It can be surmised that Vienna’s innovative and novel policies have enlarged its skilled workforce, in comparison to the other Austrian cities. Works Cited Exp13: , (Expert Council for Integration), Wed05: , (Wedel, Shore and Feldman 39), Fed15: , (Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs), Fed151: , (Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs), Wie13: , (Wiener ArbeitnehmerInnen Förderungsfonds (waff)), Koh14: , (Kohlbacher, Schnell and Reeger), Com99: , (Comaroff and Comaroff 294), Wed05: , (Wedel, Shore and Feldman 34), Wed05: , (Wedel, Shore and Feldman 38), Wri06: , (Wright), Mig15: , (Migration & Integration), Aus155: , (Austrian Federal Government), Nat151: , (Nation Master), Sta13: , (Statistics Austria), Ber142: , (Berger, Dittenbach and Haas), Aus155: , (Austrian Federal Government), Cha09: , (Chaloff and Lemaitre), Read More