ABSTRACT
In his eloquent statement, Rodrik suggests that the current dynamics of the global economy have accentuated the asymmetry between two categories of people: those who are highly skilled workers, who can take their skills where they are most wanted, and those for whom mobility is at best uncertain, elastic and often hazardous. This suggests that it is no longer useful to consider migration as a generalizable phenomenon. Patterns of transnational mobility vary considerably, and depend markedly on the
changing nature of not only the skills of the people who wish to move but also the global labor market and the nature of work itself. Despite relatively free movement of capital, no country now welcomes mass migration, but insists on being highly selective. Unskilled migrants and refugees are discouraged, often in ways that are highly punitive, whereas ‘business’ migration is welcomed, especially in areas where there is a shortage of skills. Most of the OECD countries now have developed policies and programs to attract skilled workers, mainly from the developing countries (OECD 2001).
