Immigration and economic growth in Europe and their spatial allocation

Abstract

The issues related to the impact of labour immigration on economic growth is the focus of this paper. The immigration concept implies a new settlement place which is more prosperous compared to a former one. So, the immigration drive is triggered. In this study we tried to analyse the immigration phenomenon in the European Union countries which is an attractive zone for immigrants and a developed region in terms of prosperity and economic growth. Due to the aging population structure in the European Union, labour immigration will affect economic growth positively. However, the right to free circulation within the European Union caused the immigrants shift to these countries. Consequently, the immigrant employees in the EU 15 countries have been a significant burden on the social security systems. In this study, it is expected that labour immigration will have a negative impact on economic growth for EU 15. © Umit Guner, Meral Yaliniz, 2013. © 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.