Public attitudes to migrant workers : a (lasting) impact of Covid-19?

Abstract

The general preference of the native-born population for high-skilled immigrants has been extensively documented by a large body of academic studies. In line with this, many countries base their migration schemes on definitions of “skilled” and “unskilled” occupations and apply point-based immigration systems favouring high- skilled immigrants. However, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of “essential” jobs many of which are in lower-skilled occupations often performed by migrant workers. As the Covid-19 pandemic clearly has the potential to change the value that society attaches to certain jobs and occupations, the question arises: could the coronavirus health crisis affect public attitudes to immigration and essential migrant workers in particular?