Germany is one of the OECD countries with the lowest barriers to immigration for high-skilled workers. However, long-term labour migration is low in comparison with other countries.

What is the extent and impact of the international mobility of skills? What can ensure that highly educated youth are used to their full potential and contribute to development by staying in their country or migrating? How to improve the matching between supply and demand for skills between potential (return) migrants and employers in destination and origin countries and in particular in sectors such as health and education?

This edition of Migration Policy Debates looks at the evidence for how immigrants affect the economy in three main areas: The labour market, the public purse and economic growth.

The increasing number of people moving within the European Union is driving the rise in migration registered in OECD countries, after several years of decline caused by the crisis. High skilled migration and humanitarian movements to OECD countries are also increasing. Migration policies need to keep pace with these changes, according to a new OECD report.

Immigration in OECD Countries - 5th Annual International Conference - Call for Papers

It is often said that the United States is a nation of immigrants. Is the US still the best place to settle in?

OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría welcomes the initiative of President Francois Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel to put forward a structural and ambitious response to the current refugee crisis.

OECD recommendations for the integration of Humanitarian migrants

The heads of the OECD and UNHCR, at a joint high-level Conference on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection in Paris today, have called on governments to scale up their efforts to help refugees integrate and contribute to the societies and economies of Europe.

Sweden should address housing shortages, begin integration activities early, and improve the support for those with low skills to speed up the effective integration of refugees, according to a new OECD report.

The OECD and CEB have led global work on migration for decades: the OECD has contributed analysis, data, knowledge, and tools to inform dialogue and shape policy; and CEB has worked on the frontlines, financing social projects for migrants, refugees, displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups. Given the complementarities between our work, the potential synergies from co-operation are clear.

The European Union should reform its legal labour migration policies to get its fair share of the global talent pool, according to a new report published by the OECD.

This article by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría addresses the refugee crisis, encouraging governments to seize the opportunity that refugees bring for our economies and societies.

This edition presents an overview of some “alternative pathways” that could help take the pressure off the main traditional pathways for refugees in general and assesses their potential application for Syrians in particular. Overall, these alternatives can help provide safe channels and good integration prospects to refugees who might otherwise be tempted to risk their fate with smugglers and illegal border crossing.

This document provides an overview of the key challenges for Canada’s labour migration system, along with recommendations for future policy making.

Call for papers and sessions

The number of humanitarian refugees arriving in OECD countries peaked in 2016 and governments continue to grapple with a humanitarian crisis. They should focus on helping refugees who are likely to stay in the host country settle and integrate in the labour market and society. This calls for a rethinking of both domestic policies and international co-operation, according to a new OECD report.

OECD calls on governments to foster the integration of family migrants – a large and often forgotten group of immigrants

The first International Forum on Migration Statistics (IFMS) will showcase the most innovative research and initiatives to measure population mobility and generate timely statistics. This unique Forum, co-organised by the OECD, IOM and UNDESA, will also create synergies between all stakeholders and perspectives, with representatives from 'origin', ‘transit’ and 'host' countries of migrants.

How immigrants contribute to developing countries’ economies shows that negative perceptions are often unjustified. It points out that immigrants are no burden on the economies of host countries, and that in developing countries, their impact on labour markets, economic growth and public finance is generally positive although relatively limited.

Socio-economic disadvantage and language barriers are the biggest obstacles to success at school and in society for students with an immigrant background. More effective and better targeted education and social policies are needed to help migrant children integrate and fulfil their potential, according to a new OECD report.

Call for paper: OECD-CEPII conference on immigration in OECD countries 10-11 Dec 2018

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2011.

Luxembourg must step up its efforts to detect and prosecute cases of bribery of foreign public officials, particularly now that its legal framework has been strengthened, in compliance with the Anti-Bribery Convention

This note is taken from Chapter 2 of Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth 2012.

The Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes has released peer review reports assessing the tax systems of 13 jurisdictions for information exchange.

These country notes contain indicators which compare the political and institutional frameworks of national governments as well as revenues and expenditures, employment, and compensation. They include a description of government policies on integrity, e-government and open government.

This note presents key findings for Luxembourg from Society at a Glance 2014 - OECD Social indicators. This 2014 publication also provides a special chapter on: the crisis and its aftermath: a “stress test” for societies and for social policies.

The tax burden in Luxembourg increased by 0.8 percentage points from 38.5% to 39.3% in 2013. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.7% to 34.1%. Luxembourg’s standard VAT rate is 15%, which is below the OECD average. The average VAT/GST standard rate in the OECD was 19.1% on 1 January 2014.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for Luxembourg

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for Luxembourg. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

This country note presents student performance in science, reading and mathematics, and measures equity in education in Luxembourg. The interactive charts allow you to compare results with other countries participating in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Albeit with a considerable lag, unemployment has been following the same declining path in Luxembourg as in the rest of the OECD since mid-2015. Nevertheless, at 5.9% in April, it is still 1.7 percentage points higher than its pre-crisis level in 2007, and is projected to decline by very little through to the end of 2018

Strong economic performance, comfortable fiscal situation and well-run institutions make life good for most residents of Luxembourg.

This note presents marginal effective tax rates (METRs) that summarise the tax system’s impact on the incentives to make an additional investment in a particular type of savings. By comparing METRs on different types of household savings, we can gain insights into which assets or savings types receive the most favourable treatment from the tax system.

This country note for Luxembourg provides detail on the proportion of CO2 emissions from energy use subject to different effective carbon rates (ECR), as well as on the level and components of average ECRs in each of the six economic sectors (road transport, off-road transport, industry, agriculture and fishing, residential & commercial, and electricity).

This country note explains how Luxembourg taxes energy use. The note shows the distribution of effective energy tax rates across all domestic energy use. It also details the country-specific assumptions made when calculating effective energy tax rates and matching tax rates to the corresponding energy base.

The tax-to-GDP ratio in Luxembourg increased by 1.4 percentage points from 38.7% in 2017 to 40.1% in 2018. The corresponding figure for the OECD average was a slight increase of 0.1 percentage point from 34.2% to 34.3% over the same period.

The tax wedge for the average single worker in Luxembourg increased by 0.2 percentage points from 38.2 in 2018 to 38.4 in 2019. The OECD average tax wedge in 2019 was 36.0 (2018, 36.1). In 2019 Luxembourg had the 17th highest tax wedge among the 36 OECD member countries, compared with the 18th in 2018.

"The success of green growth will depend on whether it is a shared global agenda. Many developing countries are not yet fully equipped to introduce new ‘greener’ policies and tap into the benefits of a green future", declared Mr Gurría at the Global Green Growth Summit.

Germany is successfully limiting the amount of carbon, energy and resources required to grow its economy. Though the public is generally satisfied with the level of environmental quality, the OECD’s Environmental Performance Review of Germany warns that ch

This report provides a framework for policy discussions around financing water resources management that are taking place at local, basin, national, or transboundary levels.

Organised jointly by the OECD and the IEA, this seminar held on 26-27 September 2012 aimed to promote dialogue and enhance understanding between a wide range of countries on technical issues in the international climate change negotiations. This seminar was an informal meeting outside of the UNFCCC negotiations and discussions are non-attributed.

The OECD and the ESRC Genomics Policy & Research Forum jointly organised a one-day Forum on 12 November 2012 in Paris. The event was both retrospective and forward-looking. The forum concluded that the promise of biotechnology is not set but evolves with fresh scientific knowledge, novel laws and regulations. The future of biotechnology needs to also integrate social and cultural dimensions.

Two new OECD reports provide wide-ranging evidence of how reforming subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels can help countries boost finances and meet green objectives.

Italy has taken a range of initiatives to improve the management of its natural resources and reduce energy intensity. Despite this progress, the OECD’s Environmental Performance Review of Italy says the country still faces numerous environmental challenges.

This event held on 19-20 March 2013 at the OECD is part of a series of seminars, organised by the OECD and the IEA, which aims to promote dialogue and enhance understanding between a wide range of experts on technical issues in the international climate change negotiations. The agenda, presentations and list of participants are now available.

The GGKP’s second annual conference will be held at the OECD Headquarters in Paris on 4-5 April 2013. The discussion will be framed around two headline themes: Greening global value chains and Measurement and reporting for green growth.

We can’t use terms like “inclusive” and “green” as window dressing for the pursuit of economic growth as an end in itself. A real and profound change in how we think about growth is needed–one that doesn’t let special interests get in the way of creating a just, fair and sustainable economy with clean energy for all.

The rise in international investment and trade in goods and services related to renewable energy has been rapid but not always smooth. This paper surveys, through the lenses of market-pull and technology-push policies, the numerous domestic incentives used by governments to promote renewable energy, focusing on those that might have implications for trade.