Labour mobility in the Euroregion Galicia–Norte de Portugal: constraints faced by cross-border commuters

ABSTRACT

Removing barriers to labour mobility is expected to contribute to processes of spatial integration in cross-border regions, by an efficient allocation of labour and consequently a convergence between territories separated by a common border. Nevertheless, despite the de-bordering process within the European Union, administrative, legal and language barriers still hamper cross-border labour mobility, preventing the process of labour market integration. The aim of this paper is to identify obstacles to the mobility of cross-border workers commuting within the Euroregion Galicia–Norte de Portugal. The methodology employed combines the analysis of official data on labour mobility with qualitative data gathered from interviews with cross-border commuters, aimed at finding explanations for the different attitudes towards cross-border mobility inside this Euroregion. While traditional push and pull factors remain relevant in explaining cross-border labour flows, the qualitative information offers new insights into different levels of indifference from cross-border workers. The result is a fragmented labour market where Norte de Portugal is providing low-qualified, low-wage labour, whereas Galicia is contributing with well-paid, qualified labour.

KEYWORDS:

• Cross-border
• labour mobility
• drivers and barriers
• Euroregion Galicia–Norte Portugal

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Iva Pires http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4721-4084

Flávio Nunes http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4818-3825

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE 2020 – Operational Programe Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and national funds by FCT under the POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006891 project [grant number FCT Ref: UID/GEO 04084/2013].