Guestworkers in Europe: A Resurrection?

TLDR

Since the 1970s Western European countries phased out migrant labor recruitment and imposed restrictive entry rules, policymakers are now reexamining temporary migrant worker programs. The article investigates the demographic, economic, and social pressures driving labor recruitment and reviews temporary migrant worker programs in Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Commission's 2005 Policy Plan for Legal Migration. The authors analyze these factors through a review of policy documents and comparative program analysis. Current approaches differ markedly from past policies and are unlikely to revive general labor recruitment, yet they share features with earlier guestworker programs that could produce negative social outcomes in both host and sending countries.

Abstract

Around 1974, most Western European countries abandoned migrant labor recruitment, and introduced restrictive entry rules. Today, policymakers are reexamining temporary migrant worker programs. This article examines demographic, economic, and social pressures for labor recruitment, discusses temporary migrant worker programs in Germany and the United Kingdom, and examines the European Commission's 2005 Policy Plan for Legal Migration. Current approaches differ significantly from the past and there is no question of a general return to labor recruitment policies. However, today's policies do share some common features with past guestworker programs, and may lead to negative social outcomes in both receiving and sending countries.