Liberalising labour markets through migration partnerships? The French perspective

The new French bilateral ‘agreements on joint management of immigration flows and partnership development’ (AJMs) reflect the desire for global circulation of skills in accordance with the needs of their labour markets, as well as a growing concern for migration regulation. These comprehensive agreements provide measures regarding labour migration, the fight against irregular migration, and migration-related development issues. Based on the principle of partnership, shared advantages and shared responsibility, they aim at involving countries of origin the management of migration flows. By discussing a series of indicators, this paper assesses the degree of partnership of AJMs as regards labour migration. Also examined is their impact on human mobility through the implementation of the concept of temporary circular labour migration by offering a ‘regulated liberalisation’ of the French labour market access. The paper thus investigates whether the new AJMs are a catalyst to the mobility of skilled and high-skilled workers, students and trainees by effectively increasing migration opportunities and facilitating mobility, or if they mainly work as correctives to the high-skilled bias of the French unilateral law.<//span><//span>