Immigration costs nothing, or almost, to the state, said the OECD, this Thursday in a study on their "budgetary impact", which calculated the ratio between contributions paid by immigrants and expenditure public.

"In all countries, the contribution of immigrants in the form of taxes and contributions is greater than the expenditure that countries devote to their social protection, health and education," writes the organization for economic cooperation and development in this report which covers its 25 Member States for the period 2006-2018.

A "low" budgetary impact

In France, for example, the net budgetary contribution of people born abroad is 1.02% of GDP, and therefore slightly in surplus, against an average of 1.56% for all countries. “What focuses the public debate, especially in France, is the cost that immigration can represent in terms of social spending, health, etc. We show that this question should not obsess us, because when we take the account, we observe that the contribution is positive until the taking into account of military expenditure and the public debt ”, analyzes Jean-Christophe Dumont, head of the Migration Division of the OECD.

Indeed, when the defense budget and the repayment of the public debt, which do not only concern immigrants but the entire population, are taken into account, the contribution becomes negative for France (-0.85%) as for the average of the 25 countries studied (-0.16).

“The budgetary impact of immigrants is low”, summarizes Ana Damas de Matos, author of the study, the first on the subject since 2013. “If we count all that the state spends on migrants, from health to 'public lighting, through the police and allowances, and what they contribute, we will always find a difference in net budgetary contribution between -1 and +1% of GDP, ”she explains.

" Misunderstanding "

These data "reflect the migratory history of each country", estimates the economist: "In countries where there has been a lot of recent and young immigration, we will have a more positive contribution, as in Italy or Spain. And vice versa. France is in an intermediate situation ”, with an older immigrant population. There is "a misunderstanding between the individual situation of immigrants and the impact of their entire population," said Lionel Ragot, professor of economics at Paris-Nanterre University, who had himself studied the impact. immigration budget in France between 1979 and 2011.

“Individually, they are more unemployed, receive more benefits, it's true.

This is the shortcut that is often put forward to say that they are very expensive for France.

Except that this individual result is compensated by an age structure, with immigrants who are often in the working population and who therefore pay a lot, ”he says.

In his past work for the Cepii (center for prospective studies and international information), Lionel Ragot also estimated this migratory impact between -0.5 and + 0.5% of GDP, ie “almost zero”.

Investment

Today, according to the OECD, public spending on immigrants is lower than for the rest of the population in areas such as old age and survivors' pensions, sickness, disability, education, health. Conversely, they are stronger with regard to the family, unemployment, social exclusion and housing. Overall, people born abroad contribute 11% less than “natives” to the state budget. Participation "weighed down" by poor integration into the labor market, with 56% of immigrants in employment in France, decrypts Jean-Christophe Dumont.

The OECD therefore carried out a simulation: with an employment rate similar to the rest of the population, immigrants could generate an additional 0.2% of GDP for the public accounts.

Moreover, the report details that "the most important gains in terms of budgetary contribution (…) have been noted in countries which have attracted significant flows of labor migrants, in particular highly qualified migrants".

“The contribution is positive, but it could be much more positive,” says Jean-Christophe Dumont.

“The integration policy is not an expense, you have to see it as an investment.

With a return on investment.

"

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