Cross-Border Labour Mobility in Europe: Migration Versus Commuting

Cross-border mobility is one of the most important factors to solidify European integration. On top of cross-border migrants, the number of cross-border commuters and posted workers has increased considerably over the past decade with important social and economic consequences. Although the effects are largely asymmetric across groups of individuals, with winners and losers in terms of wages, employment, housing and social welfare, the benefits of cross-border labour mobility in all its forms have been proven to be numerous both from a micro and a macro perspective and largely overcome the costs. However, large barriers to cross-border mobility in EU still exist, particularly in terms of lack of information on rights and opportunities, language differences, legal and administrative obstacles, and the recognition of professional qualifications. Reducing these barriers is then a key priority for the EU in order to enhance the integration process. Policy interventions should therefore aim at expanding the expected utility gains of mobility, reducing mobility costs for individuals, redistributing the benefits across groups of individuals and supporting the labour market and social integration of movers.