HR challenge: Winning the war for talent
People migration, both cross-border and within countries, adds another layer of complexity to the labor market. Governments play a big role in determining and controlling that flow of labor. However, as organizations continue to expand globally and face skills shortages locally, many require a more mobile workforce. Therefore, organizations and governments alike will seek to understand and gather data on how migration patterns are affecting the composition of the labor market, and how educational attainments and skill sets are shifting.
Governments are often torn between the need to import the necessary skills for the economy, and populist pressure to curb immigration. But that pressure normally focuses on unskilled immigrants, and the associated strains on public services and the benefits system. Many companies are devoting more resources to lobbying for a relaxation of curbs on the most skilled workers. A research group, Center for Responsive Politics, reported that the total number of companies lobbying on immigration in the US Congress rose to 355 in 2012, with technology companies the most active.