Gender, migration and the global race for talent Blank page Gender, migration and the global race for talent Anna Boucher Manchester University Press Copyright © Anna Boucher 2016 The right of Anna Boucher to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Published by Manchester University Press Altrincham Street, Manchester M1 7JA www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for ISBN 978 7190 9945 8 hardback First published 2016 The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate Typeset by Out of House Publishing This book is dedicated to Hermina Sapera Blank page Contents List of figures List of tables Acknowledgements List of abbreviations page viii ix xi xiii Introduction I The global race for talent: global context 1 Skill and gender: navigating the theoretical terrain 13 2 Gender awareness of skilled immigration policies across the OECD: presenting the GenderImmi data set 32 II Gendering skilled immigration policy in Australia and Canada, 1988–2013 3 Gendering the policy process: venue shopping and diversity-seeking 55 4 Changing the mix, 1988–2003: the shift from family to skilled immigration 69 5 New selection grids: points tests and gender effects, 1993–2003 94 6 Targeting skills during the global financial crisis, 2007–13: gendered winners and losers? 110 7 Mining booms and Nanny-Gate: the gendered terrain of temporary economic immigration, 2007–13 132 Activist mobilising, state sponsorship and venue shopping capabilities 154 Appendices 1 Elite interviews conducted with relevant Australians 182 2 Elite interviews conducted with relevant Canadians 185 3 Methodological appendix 189 Bibliography Index 192 238 Figures 1.1 Relationship between gender, labour market and skilled immigration policy 4.1 Permanent entrants to Australia across all streams, 1987–2003 4.2 Permanent entrants to Canada across all streams, 1987–2003 page 16 74 76 Tables 2.1 Variation in skilled immigration selection methods across twelve OECD countries 2.2 Wage distribution amounts in different countries in Euros 2.3 Gender-awareness index of skilled immigration policies 4.1 Permanent entrants to Australia, economic and family streams, 1987–2003 4.2 Permanent entrants to Canada, economy and family streams, 1987–2003 4.3 Skilled stream principal entrants to Australia, gender disaggregated, 1996–2011 4.4 Skilled principal applicants to Canada, gender disaggregated, 1996–2011 4.5 Family principal entrants to Australia, gender disaggregated, 1996–2011 4.6 Family principal entrants to Canada, gender disaggregated, 1996–2011 4.7 Skilled stream, secondary applicants to Australia, gender disaggregated, 1996–2011 4.8 Skilled stream secondary applicants to Canada, gender disaggregated, 1996–2011 4.9 Planned immigration levels for the family reunification and skilled streams, Australia, 1989–2003 4.10 Planned immigration levels for the family reunification and skilled immigration streams, Canada, 1989–2003 5.1 The Australian points test for skilled immigrants, before and after the 1999 reforms 5.2 Canadian Federal Skilled Immigrant points test, before and after the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (‘IRPA’) (2002) reforms 6.1 Changes in top occupations for male and female principal skilled independent applicants across time in Canada 6.2 Changes in top occupations for male and female principal skilled independent applicants across time in Australia page 36 41 49 73 77 79 80 82 83 85 86 89 91 96 98 121 122 .. .Gender, migration and the global race for talent Blank page Gender, migration and the global race for talent Anna Boucher Manchester University Press Copyright © Anna Boucher 2016 The right... as the global race for talent (Shachar 2006) or the search for the best and the brightest’ (Thompson 2001) Once a discrete tool peculiar to the settler states of the United States, Canada and. .. I The global race for talent: global context 1 Skill and gender: navigating the theoretical terrain 13 2 Gender awareness of skilled immigration policies across the OECD: presenting the