True globalisation

The Middle East is a shining example of brilliant progress through immigration management. The UAE has many expatriates. Dubai’s scintillating Sheikh Zayed Road, with its tall towers, is the creation of local imagination and immigrant endeavour. That is, global professionals and workers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia. Fly any Middle Eastern airline, and from the pilots to loaders, the entire staff hails from countries spanning Europe to the Far East. This is globalisation. It is also the future.

Any country that fights the knowledge trend may get isolated from the world economy. Sure, countries need to regulate immigration to take care of their own labour forces. Yet, the fact remains that countries are known for skill specialisation, whether by historical accident or by design. Think of Germany for engineering, the US for technology, Britain for administration, France for fashion, India for IT services, the Middle East for financial services and China for manufacturing.

These are the broad competitive advantages of these countries/regions. By the theory of comparative advantage, cross-border trade benefits all. But equally, the exchange of skills brought about by the free movement of workers across borders can work to everyone’s advantage. Of course, equity and fairness in remuneration should be the guiding principles of any market that hopes to gain from the phenomenon. If the global vision of a borderless planet must be realised, then the curbs on immigration should be rationalised.

Rajendra Aneja,

Mumbai, India