Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth - 8.8 on labor rights for migrant workers

1. Migrant workers employed through bilateral MOUs

On August 29, 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador and the Occupational Health and Security Administration of the US Department of Labor signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C., which recognized the joint commitment of both nations in the labor rights protection of Salvadoran immigrant workers.

NORMLEX is a new information system which brings together information on International Labour Standards (such as ratification information, reporting requirements, comments of the ILO's supervisory bodies, etc.) as well as national labour and social security laws.
NORMLEX has been designed to provide comprehensive and user friendly information on these topics and includes the NATLEX database as well as the information which was previously contained in the former APPLIS, ILOLEX and Libsynd databases.

Under the new National Social Security Fund Act in 2013, migrant workers can enjoy social security through the emigration benefits drawing a small fration of their earnings.

To facilitate legal channels of migration, Kenya passed the Citizenship and immigration Act, 2011, the Employment Act, 2007 and the Labour Institutions Act. Regulations governing private recruitment agencies require recruitment agencies to charge from their principals a service fee to cover services rendered in the recruitment, documentation and placement of workers so that the migrant workers are not burdened with this cost.

In January 2015, work permits and quotas for work permits for foreign nationals from visa-free countries were cancelled, and replaced with a visa-free system that requires these employees to obtain licenses before they take up employment with companies, individual entrepreneurs, lawyers or notaries. The benefits for employers of this new licensing system are significant reductions in the bureaucracy involved in issuing work permit quotas to foreign workers, as well as in the number of irregular migrants.

Regarding the recognition of skills and qualifications, in partnership with the Swedish National Employment Agency, Moldova is consolidating its own National Employment Agency with the use of the latest tools and information technology, such as e-job fairs. An internship portal has recently been launched which motivates young Moldovans to return back home even for short periods of time. Moldova is undergoing projects on supporting migrants’ employment and skills recognition at the regional level.

The Seasonal Worker Program aims to contribute to Pacific islands’ and Timor-Leste’s economic development objectives while assisting Australian employers who cannot source local labour.  Citizens of Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are able to participate in the programme.   

Australia’s immigration system has evolved to place emphasis on employer-sponsored, demand driven migration developed through broad consultations and programs with a wide range of stakeholders. A cornerstone of its migration program is labour market assessment (through the use of independent and accredited bodies with specialized knowledge of particular occupations), as well as consultations with the industry and the wider public through blogs, discussion papers and surveys.

Despite having the same labour rights as Costa Rican citizens, migrants and refugees encounter barriers to a decent job. The program Vivir la Integración (Living the Integration) is thus developed to encourage companies to establish corporate social responsibility programs that  support the integration of refugees and those applying for refugee status.