Labour migration to rich countries fell by more than a fifth last year as job markets weakened and countries such as the UK tightened visa rules, according to new research by the OECD. 

The Paris-based organisation said permanent work-related migration to its member countries, which had risen steadily since the pandemic, fell by 21 per cent between 2023 and 2024 to 934,000 — even before Donald Trump’s return to the White House choked off inflows to the US. 

The drop was partly due to policy clampdowns, in particular in the UK, where net immigration fell by more than 40 per cent from 2023. But even without a change of policy stance, labour migration fell in most EU member states, dropping below 2019 levels in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands that had seen historically high inflows.