External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar cautions that the US and Europe risk being “net losers” if they restrict skilled immigration, highlighting the mutual benefits of global talent mobility.
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has given a clear and sharp message on Immigration Roadblocks, saying that countries like the United States and nations in Europe could damage their own future if they block the movement of skilled workers. His comments came during an event in New Delhi where he openly spoke about the rising political anger against immigration in many parts of the world.
Jaishankar explained that the real problem is not migrants or skilled professionals entering these countries. He said, “The actual crisis has nothing to do with the mobility of the incoming workforce.” He pointed out that Western countries are facing economic pressure mainly because they allowed their industries to shift out over the last twenty years. According to him, “It was their choice and strategy. They have to find ways of fixing it.”
He also added that India believes both sides gain when talent moves freely. “The part which concerns us is to convince them that mobility, the use of talent across boundaries, is to our mutual benefit. That they would be net losers if they actually erected too many roadblocks to the flow of talent,” Jaishankar said. His words show India’s firm position that skilled workers should not be made targets of political pressure.
Jaishankar also explained that the world is entering a phase of advanced manufacturing, which will create a huge demand for specialised skills. He said countries cannot build all these skills internally at a fast pace. “As we move into an era of advanced manufacturing, we will need more talent, not less, and talent cannot be developed organically at a high rate,” he said. He added that Western societies are already feeling this pressure, and they will eventually search for a balanced solution to handle both economic and political challenges.
His message is simple but powerful: blocking skilled workers may bring short-term political gains for some countries, but in the long run, these Immigration Roadblocks will hurt the economies that create them. Jaishankar believes that cooperation and openness will help both India and the West grow together, rather than shutting doors and becoming “net losers”.
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