A new EMN Inform on Monitoring the Integration of Third Country Nationals has found that a lack of data and limitations in the type of data available is a key challenge for monitoring the integration of third country nationals. The availability and detail of data is of key significance for monitoring integration, as 35% of EMN Member and Observer Countries report that integration monitoring activities had informed policy changes.
The joint EMN-OECD Inform provides an overview of policies and state-led practices designed to monitor the integration of third country nationals and analyses the effectiveness of these policies, providing examples of challenges and good practices.
Most EMN Member and Observer countries have integration monitoring policies and strategies in place at the national level and most have integration defined in national law. While most define integration in alignment with the EU definition of ‘a two way process’, other countries incorporate additional elements such as participation in social or civic activities within the host society.
The integration of third-country nationals is primarily monitored by focusing on key areas such as education, employment, and housing. Only a minority of countries collect views from third-country nationals regarding either their integration process or integration more generally. For example, in Ireland, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) conducted a national consultation on migrant integration in 2023 which included an online survey, submissions and roundtable events to gather migrants’ insights and experiences on the challenges, needs and opportunities in supporting migrant integration.
Challenges and good practices for monitoring integration of third country nationals
Several challenges experienced by EMN Member and Observer countries relate to the type and use of data. Limitations of survey and administrative data and data protection issues were reported as a barrier for monitoring integration. In Ireland, administrative data is often not disaggregated or detailed enough to be used to monitor integration outcomes and there is no population register. Issues of data availability and comparability were also reported across EMN countries. This was linked to a reliance on survey data with practical difficulties encountered when disseminating or collecting surveys. For example, migrant populations may be less likely to respond to surveys due to language and cultural barriers, leaving migrant populations under-sampled. Furthermore the targeting of surveys to private households excludes homeless people, people in international protection reception systems and other potentially vulnerable groups relevant for the monitoring of integration.
Good practices identified by Member and Observer countries include: the collection of surveys specific to immigrant populations; public access to the results of integration monitoring activities; and centralising indicators, for example, in a single dashboard. Monitoring integration beyond those who are foreign born was also reported as a good practice, for example for children of foreign-born parents who may encounter challenges to integration in addition to their parents’ challenges. Comparing the position of people from a migrant background to a group of the host society with comparable characteristics is used by some countries to see how migrant groups and host societies compare, using ‘proportionality’ as a measure of integration. Some countries also use a ‘One-Stop Shop’ model to provide services, which has proved useful in providing information to policy makers and researchers in addition to monitoring integration policies.
Monitoring Integration in Ireland
Integration is currently defined in Irish policy as the ‘ability to participate to the extent that a person needs and wishes in all of the major components of society without having to relinquish his or her own cultural identity’. The previous Migrant Integration Strategy, which expired in 2021, covered all non-Irish and second-generation Irish nationals and included a plan for monitoring the implementation of the strategy itself. While many of the outcomes monitored relate to the activities under the strategy, some also related to the direct monitoring of outcomes more generally. The development of a new strategy is underway.
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) publishes a monitoring report on integration every two years, which is funded by DCEDIY. The 2022 report found that while the migrant population in Ireland was faring reasonably well in terms of employment rate and education compared to the Irish population (notwithstanding being more affected in terms of labour market outcomes by the Covid-19 pandemic), the migrant population had a lower median annual net income than the Irish-born population and higher ‘at-risk of poverty’, deprivation and consistent poverty rates.
The National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR), which was published in 2023 also includes objectives related to the monitoring of racism of ethnic minority groups. It plans the monitoring of various outcomes and comparison with the majority population.
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