The way ahead to improve international migration statistics

1
The way ahead to improve international migration
statistics

• Conclusions of the UNECE workshop, 23/24 november
  2006, Edinburgh
• Werner Haug

2
Improve demographic analysis

• Need for more demographic analysis on the
  comparability and quality of different data
  sources on the national level (censuses, vital
  statistics, administative data, surveys)
• Problems ressources and know how in NSIs,
  access to individual data, lack of metadata
• What to do Mobilisation of professional
  expertise, initiation of research projects,
  training,

3
Better use of administrative data

• Need for better use of administrative records
  from different ministries (border control,
  interior, labour, health, education etc.)
• Problems Lack of cooperation between statistics
  and administrative authorities, difficulty of
  access, statistical needs not adequately
  reflected in administrative procedures
• What to do Create interagency task force,
  participate in interagency committees, create
  high level commitment, initiate government
  decisions

4
Improve or change the registration systems

• Need for reform of population registration
  systems which should adequately reflect permanent
  and temporary residence, arrivals and departures
  of nationals and foreigners
• Problems Tradition, lack of ressources and
  incentives, links with rights and obligations
  (political, economic, family and housing etc.),
  limited influence of NSIs
• What to do Improve political awareness, initiate
  legal changes, create incentives for registration
  and deregistration, learn from countries with
  efficient registration systems

5
Efficient registration part of a larger
political and social context

• Why to register?
• No or very low fees
• Access to residence and work
• Access to social and health services
• Access to education
• Access to political rights
• Why to deregister?
• Dont want to pay taxes
• Dont want to do military service
• Dont want to receive bills and reminders
• Deregistration as a condition for registration
• If the incentives are absent or work in the wrong
  direction the results will be statistical
  undercount, overcount and lack of reliability and
  timeliness!

6
Invest in the 2010 Population Census

• Need for advocacy and consultation on national
  level, assure comparability with a) other
  countries on the basis of UN recommendations and
  b) with earlier national censuses, introduction
  of a migration module on emigrants absent from
  the household for more than one year and
  questions on reasons of migration
• Problems methodological, political, ressources
• What to do International coordination of
  population and migration questions, define common
  migration module learning from migrant sending
  countries (Tunesia, Mexiko, Philippines),
  mobilisation of ressources

7
Introduce migration questions in household surveys

• Need for more frequent data on
  immigration/emigration, data on migrants and
  expatriates on the labour market, their living
  conditions, income and health
• Problems Coverage of migrants in household
  surveys (institutional households, irregular
  migrants, temporary absent/present migrants)
• What to do Develop standardised modules on
  migrants and remittances for LFS, LSMS, rolling
  censuses etc. in sending and receiving countries,
  coordination between different countries and
  international organisations

8
Horizontal issues

• Involve all relevant national stakeholders,
  organise interagency cooperation (who national
  governments, NSIs, migration related ministries)
• Develop a masterplan for the improvement of
  migration statistics that is realistic and
  adresses the needs of migrant sending countries
  in the medium and long term (who NSIs,
  governments, international organisations)
• Organise international coordination for countries
  with a common history and a common migration
  context (e.g. CIS countries, South-east European
  countries) (who UNECE, IOM, CIS )
• Organise political advocacy and mobilise
  resources for the 2010 round of censuses to
  coordinate questionnaires and support NSIs (Who
  NSIs, PARIS 21, UNFPA)
• Pool the professional expert knowledge through
  coordinated technical assistance (UNECE/IOM/UNFPA
  )

9
Principles

• Take the UN recommendations as a reference
• Develop pragmatic and feasible solutions
• Take the needs of migrant sending countries
  serious
• Take the constraints of migrant receiving
  countries serious
• Respect regional and historical differences

10

• Thank you!