LABOR MIGRATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN CESEE

The 'Labor Migration and Demographic Change: A Blueprint for Shaping Immigration Societies in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (2026–2028)' is an international project implemented in Hungary, Croatia, Poland and Romania. It is funded by the ERSTE Foundation (Vienna, Austria) and THE CIVICS Innovation Hub (Zagreb, Croatia) and runs from September 2026 to December 2028.

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Periféria Center is a member of the Hungarian team, with ELTE KRTK (Budapest) serving as the country research lead and the Power of Humanity Foundation (Pécs) and the Alternative Communities Association (Debrecen) serving as the project's civic partners.

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The international consortium is coordinated by the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar (Zagreb, Croatia), which also leads the research activities in Croatia in partnership with Znanje na djelu. The other country research leads are the Centre of Migration Research at the University of Warsaw, in partnership with the New Community Foundation in Poland, and the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, in partnership with Tech and Tonic  (Bucharest) in Romania.

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Countries in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) are undergoing profound demographic transformations: population decline, emigration, ageing societies and growing labour shortages are putting increasing pressure on industries, labour markets and social systems. By 2100, the population of CESEE is projected to decline by around 15%, compared with an EU average of 6%, with countries such as Poland, Romania and Croatia facing population losses of up to a quarter. Unlike Western EU member states, most countries in the region have not yet addressed these challenges through strategic immigration policies. Such policies need to complement family policies and the return migration of co-nationals, as industries increasingly rely on migrant labour.

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Through mapping, field research, multi-stakeholder consultations and community-building workshops (civic labs), the project aims to develop a solid evidence base on labour migration and demographic change as interconnected processes that are crucial to the economic prosperity and social well-being of the four countries. Its goal is to foster stronger alliances between academic research, the private sector, policymakers and civil society, and to co-create an integrated research report and policy blueprint. The blueprint will provide decision-makers with practical guidance for shaping sustainable and inclusive immigration societies across CESEE.

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The project unfolds in four phases:

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• Phase 1: Mapping and field research in all four countries, including stakeholder interviews and focus groups.

• Phase 2: The findings feed into civic labs—multi-stakeholder consultations and community-building workshops designed to translate evidence into action and foster cross-sectoral alliances.

• Phase 3: Interim results are discussed and tested in international workshops with academic and other experts in Vienna in 2027 and 2028.

• Phase 4: The project concludes with an integrated research report and policy blueprint, which will be presented publicly in Vienna, Zagreb, Budapest, Warsaw and Bucharest.