Human-centered approaches, better data, regular pathways, skills matching and partnerships highlighted by delegates.
On the second day of the 13th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) Summit, some 150 delegates gathered for a roundtable discussion on The Governance of Labor Migration in the Context of Changing Employment Landscapes.
Opening the roundtable, co-chair Neveen Elhusseiny of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “it is high time that we adapted labor migration governance to the realities of the labor market, including changes in demand brought about by COVID-19.” Echoing Elhusseiny’s call for change, co-chair Poem Mudyawabikwa of the Zimbabwean Permanent Representation to the United Nations Office at Geneva called on delegates to emphasize the importance of strong partnerships and cooperation to improve global labor migration governance.
The roundtable agenda focused on the four thematic areas and guiding questions set out in the session background paper. Michelle Leighton of the International Labour Organization presented the paper, highlighting:
- The increasing proportion of migrant workers who are women, including 11.5 million domestic workers worldwide;
- Intensified governance challenges, such as the increasing wage gap between migrant and non-migrant workers; and
- The extensive impact of COVID-19 for migrant workers, including job losses, large scale returns and lack of access to social protection and pandemic assistance measures.
On the first thematic area of Human-centered Approaches to Addressing Future of Work Challenges and Opportunities for Labor Migration, Leighton emphasized the core principle of labor migration governance as “making migration a choice.” She outlined a range of rights-based measures, including universal social protection, fair recruitment and equality of treatment, as central to “ensuring that migrant workers’ rights are protected and they can reap their fair share of benefits.”
Julius Cainglet of the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers identified decent work as the central objective of labor migration governance. “The missing pillar here is rights at work,” Cainglet noted, “which are crucial to avoiding the multiple common challenges faced by migrant workers.” Roni Pradhan of Helveta similarly noted the need to ensure access to justice for wage theft, including social protection measures for migrant workers returning to their country of origin following job losses.
“A whole-of-society approach to labor migration governance is needed.”
Kristof Tamas, Swedish Ministry of Justice
Addressing Data & Migration Governance, there was a strong consensus amongst presenters and delegates on the need to strengthen data collection, sharing and analysis in order to support effective policymaking.
Youth speaker Damilola Oyelade described how in Nigeria “the absence of data synchronization across key stakeholders has limited effective responses and assistance.” Expanding on this point, Brian Okengo of the African Union noted how “when it comes to migration data, different States and organizations use different definitions and systems that are in need of harmonization.”
Leighton here highlighted the potential for new global standards and definitions produced by the International Conference of Labour Statisticians to assist States, pointing to emerging good practice as States begin to implement them. She further emphasized the need for State investment in labor market information systems, in countries of both origin and destination, in order to better map skills, project skills gaps and plan education and training.
On the third theme of Regular Migration Pathways, Skills and Job Matching, Youth speaker Alicia Lelwic urged delegates to focus advocacy efforts on good practice developed in COVID-19 responses. Focusing on the “lengthy and costly qualification recognition procedures” that in many cases limit migrant mobility, she pointed to States’ temporary acceptance of overseas qualifications in sectors implementing pandemic responses as an example of what is feasible as recovery moves forward. Shirin Lira of the British Council urged that recovery measures prioritize recognition of the essential nature of domestic work, including by “changing the narrative of domestic versus highly skilled migrant labor.”
Crystallizing the roundtable consensus on the final theme of Partnerships, International and Bilateral Cooperation for Improved Labor Migration Governance, Gita Murti of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “all stakeholders must join hands in this task, at national, regional and local level. No government can work unilaterally in the area of migration.”
Representing the local and regional authority perspective, Mohamed Wajdi Aydi (Adjoint au Maire in the Tunisian city of Sfax) described how “cities have many tasks in relation to migrants and can assist in data collection. We therefore cannot be discounted as partners in labor migration governance.” He urged that delegates “listen to cities, as we have the material and substantial means to improve the situations of migrants and support effective governance.”
Concluding the discussion, Kristof Tamas of the Swedish Ministry of Justice noted the value of partnership, dialogue and cooperation at all levels, and the need for “a whole-of-society approach to labor migration governance.”
Photo: Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash