Economic Activities of African Migrants in Major EU Countries: New Approaches

The growing interest in migration issues in the EU has not affected the analysis of African migrants. The focus is on social and political issues, while the economic issues studied are primarily related to the assessment of the reasons for the arrival of Africans in the EU, the trajectory of their movement, as well as the scale of remittances to their homeland and the conditions for their return back to Africa. The article focuses on the main features of African migrants’ economic activity in the EU. Instead of the traditional consideration of only one or several diasporas in a single country or a generalized analysis of the entire EU, we compare the specifics of immigrants from different African countries in the 4 largest EU member states (including the UK, which left the integration project in 2020). Our article begins with a review of studies that contain information on the economic activities of migrants from African countries. Then, based on data from Eurostat and national statistics from Germany, France, Italy and the UK, the role of people from Africa in these countries population is shown. The reasons for the differences between these four countries in the dynamics and structure of immigration from Africa are explained. Statistics of refugees, naturalized persons over the past 10 years, foreign citizens and residents with migration past are considered. France is the leader in the number of migrants, mainly due to people from French-speaking countries of North and West Africa. Italy stands out because it is targeted by many illegal migrant routes due to its geographical proximity to this region. The UK has become a target mainly for residents of former British colonies who are quite successful in naturalization in the United Kingdom (therefore, there are as many Africans without local passports in the UK as in Germany – 0.6 million). Further, it is shown that the key factor for taking a particular economic position in society is the status of migrants, their education also plays an important role (although Africans often work in places where a lower level of qualification is required than they have), as well as language barriers. There are big gender differences. At the end of the article we make conclusions about the problems of African migrants’ adaptation, although the EU countries cannot refuse to employ migrants in unattractive jobs in any case.

migrations, African migrants, EU member states, economic niches on labor markets, migration statistics, Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom

1. Abramova I.O. (2009) African Migration: Experience of System Analysis, Moscow: Institute of Africa (in Russian).

2. Aeberthardt R., Fougère D., Pouget J., Rathelot R. (2010) Wages and Employment of French Workers with African Origin. Journal of Population Economics, vol. 23, pp. 881–905. DOI: 10.1007/s00148-009-0266-3

3. Agyeman E.A., Garcia M.F. (2016) Connecting Return Intentions and Home Investment: the Case of Ghanaian Migrants in Southern Europe. Journal of International Migration and Integration, vol. 17, no 3, pp. 745–759. DOI: 10.1007/s12134-015-0432-2

4. Black R., Quartey P., Castagnone E., Nazio T., Schoumaker B., Rakotonarivo N. (2013) Understanding Afro-European Labour Trajectories: Integration of Migrants into the European Labour Market & Reintegration into the Country of Origin: The Case of Ghana. MAFE Working Paper 28. January.

5. Castagnone E., Sakho P., Nazio T., Schoumaker B., Rakotonarivo N. (2013) African Migrants at Work. Patterns of Labour Market Integration in Europe, Transnational Economic Participation and Economic Re-integration of Migrants in Origin Countries. The Case of Senegal. MAFE Working Paper 29. January.

6. Crawley H., Blitz B.K. (2019) Common Agenda or Europe’s Agenda? International Protection, Human Rights and Migration from the Horn of Africa. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, no 12, pp. 2258–2274. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2018.1468393

7. Dako-Gyeke M. (2015) We Never Plan to Return Home: Voices of Premigrant Ghanaian Youth. Journal of Youth Studies, no 2, pp. 169–182. DOI: 10.1080/13676261.2015.1059929

8. Darby P., Akindes G., Kirwin M. (2007) Football Academies and the Migration of African Football Labor to Europe.Journal of Sport & Social Issues, vol. 31, no 2, pp. 143–161. DOI: 10.1177/0193723507300481

9. David A., Marouani M.A. (2017) Migration Patterns and Labor Market Outcomes in Tunisia. Economic Research Forum Working Paper, no 1166 (December). Available at: https://erf.org.eg/publications/migration-patterns-and-labormarket-outcomes-in-tunisia/, accessed 12.05.2020.

10. Demintseva E.B. (2008) Maghreb Community in France: Diaspora Formation and Integration Policy. Vostok (Oriens), no 1, pp. 83–97. Available at: https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_10332467_79385201.pdf, accessed 12.05.2020 (in Russian).

11. Demintseva E.B. (2013) “We Came Here for the Hope”: Life Experience of Mali Immigrants in France. Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie, no 1, pp. 104–117. Available at: https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_18870123_31406533.pdf, accessed 12.05.2020 (in Russian).

12. Demintseva E.B. (2015) “Troubled Suburbs” and Their Inhabitants: the Parisian Suburbs between “Riot of the Suburbs” and “Charlie Ebdo”. Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie, no 5, pp. 135–14. Available

13. at: https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_24852453_31126382.pdf, accessed 12.05.2020 (in Russian).

14. Dussault G., Fronteira I., Cabral J. (2009) Migration of Health Personnel in the WHO European Region, Lisbon: Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical.

15. Ewuntomah R. (2017) International Migration and Drug Trafficking in Ghana, Center for Migration Studies. University of Ghana. Available at: http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh/handle/123456789/23506, accessed 12.05.2020.

16. Fituni L.L., Abramova I.O. (2017) The Phenomenon of “Eastern Society” in Contemporary Europe: Paradigmes, Challenges, Forecasts. Contemporary Europe, no 4, pp. 5–16. Available at: https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/fenomen-vostochnogoobschestva-v-sovremennoy-evrope-paradigmy-vyzovy-prognozy/viewer, accessed 12.05.2020 (in Russian).

17. Flahaux M.-L., Beauchemin C., Schoumaker B. (2014) From Europe to Africa: Return Migration to Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Population & Societies, no 515 (October), pp. 1–3.

18. Haas H. de (2008) The Myth of Invasion: The Inconvenient Realities of African Migration to Europe. Third World Quarterly, no 7, pp. 1305–1322. DOI: 10.1080/01436590802386435

19. Hadjou L. (2015) Does Immigration Fosters the Algerian Exports? A Static and Dynamic Analysis. 55th Congress of the European Regional Science Association: “World Renaissance: Changing Roles for People and Places”, Lisbon, 25–28 August. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/124553, accessed 12.05.2020.

20. Hübschmann Z. (2015) Migrant Integration Programs: The Case of Germany. Global Migration Research Paper, no 11.

21. Karpov G.A. (2016) Does Great Britain Have African Future? Asia and Africa Today, no 1, pp. 59–64 (in Russian).

22. Karpov G.A. (2017) Somalis in Great Britain: Separation or Unity? Asia and Africa Today, no 5, pp. 26–29 (in Russian).

23. Karpov G.A. (2018) African Diasporas of Contemporary Great Britain (Somalis, Zimbabweans, Nigerians and South Africans), Cheboksary: Sreda (in Russian).

24. Kohnert D. (2007) African Migration to Europe: Obscured Responsibilities and Common Misconceptions. GIGA Working Papers, no 49 (May).

25. Kunle A., Modupe A.F. (2019) Challenges of Diaspora’s Contributions to Nigeria’s National Development: The British/American Case Study. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, vol. 3, no 4, pp. 130–154. Available at: https://www.ajhssr.com/wp- content/uploads/2019/04/R1934130154.pdf, accessed 12.05.2020.

26. Landau L.B. (2018) A Chronotope of Containment Development: Europe’s Migrant Crisis and Africa’s Reterritorialisation. Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography, vol. 51, no 1, pp. 169–186. DOI: 10.1111/anti.12420

27. Olutayo A.O. (2016) Democracy, Funding of Higher Education and Students’ ‘Brain Drain’ in Nigeria: Development Implications for Now and the Future. Journal of Management and Social Sciences, vol. 5, no 2, pp. 1–14. Available at: http://fountainjournals.com/index.php/fujmas/article/view/70, accessed 12.05.2020.

28. Sahraoui N. (2015) Acquiring ‘Voice’ through ‘Exit’: How Moroccan Emigrants Became a Driving Force of Political and Social Change. The Journal of North African Studies, vol. 20, no 4, pp. 522–539. DOI: 10.1080/13629387.2015.1065037

29. Sanny J.A.-N., Logan C., GyimahBoadi E. (2019) In Search of Opportunity: Young and Educated Africans Most Likely to Consider Moving Abroad. AFRObarometer, no 288 (26 March). Available at: https://media.africaportal.org/documents/ab_r7_dispatchno288_looking_for_opportunity_africans_views_on_emigration1.pdf, accessed 12.05.2020.

30. Schapendonk J. (2011) Turbulent Trajectories: Sub-Saharan African Migrants Heading North. Dissertation, October 20, 2011, Radboud University Nijmegen. Available at: https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/91326/91326.pdf, accessed 12.05.2020.

31. Shapendonk J. (2015) What if Networks Move? Dynamic Social Networking in the Context of African Migration to Europe. Population, Space and Place, vol. 21, no 8, pp. 809–819. DOI: 10.1002/psp.1860