2nd assessment

• Globalisation has led to extensive movements of capital, goods and people which has impacted migrations rates and traditional definitions of sovereignty.
• International migration changes the ethnic composition of populations which, although creating diversity, changes attitudes to national identity.
• Globalisation has changed economic systems at a global scale as demand for labour has changed.
• This has encouraged rural to urban migration, such as in China, and international migration between countries, such as from the UK to Australia.
• The UK had a skills shortage of plumbers in 2004 which was filled by Polish immigrants under the EU Free Movement of People Agreement.
• There is a worry that British citizens are outcompeted by skilled European immigrants who work efficiently and demand less pay.
• Between 3 to 4% of the global population live outside their country of birth but this proportion varies greatly between countries because of governmental policies which regulate international migration.
• Australia, Singapore and Japan have policies relating to international migration based on the levels of engagement immigrants make to the global economy.
• The pattern of international migration is always changing as the population grows and interacts.
• Environmental, economic and political events, such as war, natural disasters and financial crises, affect the source areas of migrants and their destinations.
• Migrants move for economic benefits, such as finding work, or to re-join family members.
• Other reasons involve the displacement of refugees due to conflict and poverty in the source region.
• It is suggested that economic efficiency is maximised when goods, capital and labour can move freely across international borders but this poses challenges for national identity and sovereignty.
• Migration can cause inequality as some regions may have an abundance of skilled immigrants, thus having an efficient labour force, whilst others may not.
• The Zelinksy Model of Migration Transition claims that as a country develops, the type of migration changes.
• In more developed states, there is a rise in international migration which increases global hub cities (e.g. New York) and deepens interdependence (elite migration: Australia have a point system to decide who enters the country).
• There are large migrant flows from India to the UAE and the Philippines to Saudi Arabia.
• Migration changes the cultural and ethnic composition of states which can spark tension between migrants and natives.
• Tensions result from the differences in perceptions of social, cultural and demographic impacts of migration.