Jobs are the lifeblood for national economies and family budgets. The search for economic opportunity often drives people to move around the globe. The most educated and highly skilled workers are in demand, and immigration policies often reflect that priority. Less skilled would-be immigrants, however, are often subject to tighter restrictions – even in nations where native citizens refuse to take on harvesting, construction, cleaning or other difficult tasks. Advanced technology reduces the need for labor; employers also rely on outsourcing, contract workers and the internet for digital work, including tax preparation, X-ray analysis or graphic design. Nations fiercely compete for jobs while multinational corporations reduce labor costs to increase profits.

Forget India, Outsource to Arkansas

With low labor costs, small-town USA competes for high-tech jobs
Jennifer Alsever
July 8, 2010

Reverse Outsourcing

China plans an industrial park in the heart of France
Nayan Chanda
July 6, 2010

Global Migration: A World Ever More on the Move

Speed – along with five other factors – heightens migration’s impact
Jason DeParle
June 29, 2010

African Migrant Workers Find Slim Pickings in Strawberry Fields of Southern Spain

Fickle laws and weather leave migrants in limbo
Jean-Jacques Bozonnet
June 28, 2010

The Hub Nation

Immigrants are America's unofficial ambassadors
April 28, 2010