Liberalising Labour Mobility Under the GATS: Economic Paper 53 (Economic Paper Series). This item is unavailable.Liberalising Labour Mobility Under the GATS: Economic Paper 53 (Economic Paper Series)

This publication is an analysis of negotiations concerning the temporary movement of workers from developing to developed economies, taking place under the auspices of the GATS negotiations which cover the trade in commercial services. It focuses on the temporary movement of unskilled and semi-skilled workers and considers the benefits of easing the restrictions on the temporary movement of labor. The main theme underlying the paper is the mutual benefit to both developed and developing countries in permitting a temporary movement of workers in these categories. In the next 20 years developed economies will experience an increasing shortage of labor at the lower end of the labor market due to an ageing population and a more educated workforce.

The paper constructs a model to analyze the effects of easing the restrictions and its impact on the labor market in developed countries and details some proposals which developing countries should use in the Service Negotiations. This paper is particularly useful for policy-makers (in both developed and developing countries) who are involved in formulating policy for the employment and immigration fields. It is also of interest to students and academics.

Roman Grynberg is the Deputy Director of the Economic Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, London.