Dubai and the Future of Global Migration

What is the future of global migration? Did you know that global South-to-South migration is booming - and for upscale high-wage migrants, not just low-level low-wage workers as in the past? We have the impression that people from the less developed South are only interested in migrating to one of the North countries. But the migration scholar Hein de Haas counters this in the article below:

“The reality of migration strongly contrasts with the popular idea of a massive South-North exodus… The Gulf region is as important a global migration destination as Western Europe.”

This article is part of a series on global migration by Lydia Polgreen from the New York Times:
I Went to Dubai, and Caught a Glimpse of the Future
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/opinion/dubai-migration-trump.html

You can access the New York Times (free) via ‘online resources’ at any of the local library websites (just follow the prompts).

We can also discuss the more general question of what the developed countries of the North should and will do about the ongoing desire of many people to migrate to the North. Recent polls find that majorities in most North countries are becoming increasingly hesitant about more immigration from the South, and this resistance may increase as climate effects worsen and the number of would-be immigrants grows (a long-term process but one which could rapidly accelerate at any time).

Here’s a recent opinion from the UK which describes a possibly shifting perspective in Europe:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/opinion/border-policy-immigration-labour-party.html

~Michael