Arrival of Indian workers in Europe stirs unease

Europe begs for Indian programmers, then complains when they come

Europe urgently needs engineers and goes looking for them in India. But every wave of visas for tech workers comes with an uncomfortable undercurrent: the one from those who see these same people as a threat to local jobs.

From tech visas to food delivery: the domino effect

European demand for Indian technical staff is no longer confined to offices. In countries such as the Czech Republic and Latvia, their presence now reaches hospitality and delivery work, a step beyond the programmer cliché. Those who view this warily argue that wage pressure will eventually hit every professional level; others see it as a broadening of the labour base without direct replacement.

Von der Leyen in the crosshairs

Some quarters trace the origin of the phenomenon to Brussels. Ursula von der Leyen is singled out as the driving force behind greater visa openness for Indian workers, under talent mobility agreements. There are no official data to confirm this, but the perception is already part of the public debate.

Indians, Hindus and other mix-ups

The discussion gets tangled up in terminology, and it is no minor detail. 'Indian' is the demonym for someone from India; 'Hindu' refers to a trinc of Hinduism. But Columbus's mistake, which gave that name to Native Americans, still lingers in the language. That ambiguity shapes the prejudices with which newcomers are received and breeds confusion that adds no rigour to the debate.

With all this in play, the debate over Indian migration in Europe still lacks a clear direction: the economy needs it and part of society rejects it. Which of the two forces will win out?