East meets West - Eu set for workforce migration

The jobseeker talent pool for European employers is set to alter dramatically as eight Eastern European countries join the EU in May 2004.

New research released today shows that an increasing number of Eastern European workers will look to take advantage of new opportunities, creating a diverse workforce in Western Europe.

The research, commissioned by the totaljobs.com global network, reveals that a staggering 69 per cent of jobseekers from Poland, Hungary,Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, Estonia and Latvia are looking to work in Western Europe.

To manage the migration of workers, a transition period is being negotiated during which the free movement of workers, a core principle of the EU, will not apply to new entrants. However, despite these measures, in the long term there will be considerable implications for the Western
European job market.

Of those countries joining the EU in May, jobseekers from Latvia are the most eager to leave their country, with 73 per cent wanting to work in the West. Of these, a sizeable 26 per cent would take any job offered to them by a Western European country.

Czech Republicans (57 per cent) are the most likely to remain working in their country. However, of these, 30 per cent of jobseekers would only stay if their current job satisfied them.

Jobseekers from Estonia (58 per cent) are the most likely to work in Western Europe if offered an equal position to their current job.

Keith Robinson, web site director for totaljobs.com commented; Following the accession of eight Eastern European countries to the EU next year, a surge of additional untapped talent will be available.Globalisation is a fact of life, and workforces are becoming increasingly multi-cultural.

Employers need to realise that employee diversity is becoming of utmost importance and will help drive their businesses forward. Companies need to be aware of the potential of this new candidate base, and the skills they offer, and actively find the best ways of attracting them.