How to make immigration palatable in a populist age
Guest-worker schemes are booming. They offer vast benefits to both host countries and the workers themselves
Businesses hiring migrants have a surprising new idol. The inspirational figure is neither a liberal nor a devotee of globalisation. It is Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, who in 2022 climbed to power on a hard-right platform. She intends to issue 165,000 low-skilled work visas next year, up from 30,000 five years ago. Italy has also signed a labour-mobility deal with India that a recruiter praises as “one of the [world’s] most progressive”.
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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “A welcome boom”
From the October 25th 2025 edition
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Why fewer Americans are giving than before
The decline of philanthropy is not just about Donald Trump
The five biggest market developments of 2025
Looking back on a rollercoaster year for investors
How to interpret the pain at the edge of America’s labour market
In the past it has foretold wider weakness. This time may be different
Free exchange
Watch who you’re calling childless
Women in America are having as many babies over their lifetimes as they did two decades ago
Meet the American investors rushing into Congo
They are taking on war, corruption and China
This Christmas, raise a glass to concentrated market returns
A surprisingly large share of companies lag far behind their former greatness
