Statistics on international migration usually focus on the number of people entering or leaving a country. The characteristics of these persons are also examined: young or old, man or woman, socioeconomic status, country of origin.
These are the basic calculations. Beside these basic figures, policy makers also want to know whether and how these people’s characteristics change after their arrival and whether they integrate into and have an impact on society. So it is also important to measure changes more on the long term: change in residence, in legal status, in socioeconomic situation. Longitudinal studies make that possible.
This is why UNECE prepared new guidelines in order to set up this type of studies. On a methodological level, longitudinal studies represent, indeed, a particular challenge. The document was drawn up by a task force led by Statistics Canada in which Statbel was also very active.
The new Guidance is a crucial step in developing statistics on migration that truly recognize that migration and settlement are processes, not states, and that outcomes can be short-term, long-term and dynamic.
The pdf document of this guidance can be found on this page. The full UNECE press release can be found here.