International employment migration across the European Union is likely to pick up once the economies of member states start to improve, a new report has concluded.

Research conducted for the latest International Migration Outlook report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that professional migrants are often among the first victims of an economic downturn, with many opting to stay put rather than make a move in search of a job.

However, the report also noted that once economic circumstances pick up this situation is likely to change, illustrated by the example that Polish economic migrants into the UK are expected to rise in number once the pound strengthens in value.

Despite the economic benefits of EU-wide migration, OECD secretary general Angel Gurria argued that many member states do not have policies in place to deal with a shifting tide of incoming and departing workers.

He stated: "We need responsive, fair and effective migration and integration policies - policies that work and adjust to both good economic times and bad ones.

"We also need to ensure that the benefits of migration are shared between sending and receiving countries."

The report also revealed that as many as seven in ten of the two million UK jobs created over the past decade have gone to migrant workers, with some positions not even being advertised in Britain.