Global Labour Market

Description:

Increasingly the labour pool and the need for labour has become disjoint between nations. This is to say, supply and demand of labour has become out of balance in different countries. For example, in recent years there has been a surplus of engineering talent in India, and a lack of such talent in the US. As a consequence the US has issued almost a million H1-B immigration visas since 2000. Similar inbalances exist in many parts of the labour market in many countries.

However, periodically anti-immigration sentiment grows. Politicians and political parties such as Fortuyn, Wilders, Le Pen, Buchanan, Kjærsgaard, Haider, the BNP, etc. fan the anti-immigration flame and advocate tighter controls. Often this stalls economomic growth, stiffles innovation, and destroys entire industries. Businesses have to scramble to meet their labour needs.

The internet enables an alternative to immigration. It allows greater flexibility in the labour market by connecting remote people and allowing them to collaborate while not in the same place. The needs of the labour market are likely to have a great influence on how the internet develops, just as the internet is likely to have an influence on the future of the labour market.

Enablers:

1. Aging population, 
2. Worldwide and higher lifelong education, 
3. Increasing racism in Europe and America, 
4. My job is not the only thing in my life ANYMORE!!!!, 
5. Low cost of Internet Connections, 
6. Increasing Use of e-Commerce,

These are actually other driving forces, and you can link to them in the wiki!

Inhibitors:

1. Tradition, 
2. Weak infrastructure in some countries, 
3. "Office culture"

(these are actually other driving forces, and you can link to them in the wiki!)

Paradigms:

Old: You work at an office, which is a physical place. If you live in a country without the right jobs you move to one with them.
New: You live where you like and where the government will allow you. You work for whichever company offers the right job.

Timing:

1992 Buchanan makes first bid for US President on anti-Mexican platform. Shocks country by winning 37% in first primary against incumbant Pres. George Bush Sr. before fading.
1994 California Prop 187 denies emergency medical treatment and education to undocumented aliens
1996 Buchanan wins first primary for Republican Presidential candidate before again fading
2000 H1-B quota raised to 195k/year
2000 Haider's Freedom Party joins Austrian government
2001 US immigration tightened after Sept. 11
2001 Kjærsgaard joins Danish government
2002 Fortuyn killed
2003 Le Pen finishes second in French elections
2004 Bush proposes new "guest worker" programme. Meassure fails to pass in legislature amid anti-Mexican and anti-Arab rhetoric.
2004 Attacks on Dutch Mosques, Wilders rises in polls