On February 4, 2016, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), an agency of the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) which regulates activities related to Filipino migrant workers, passed Governing Board Resolution No. 4, series of 2016, which allows private recruitment agencies in the Philippines to participate in the recruitment, deployment and employment of Filipino nurses for Germany free of placement fee charges.
At the bilateral level, the Swiss authorities have engaged in migration partnerships with African, Asian and western Balkan countries. Usually formalised by means of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), they identify common issues and problems with regard to readmission, return assistance, visa policy, prevention of human trafficking, migrants’ human rights and other aspects.
The MOU signed by the two parties in 2013 aims to enhance cooperation on domestic worker recruitment in a way which realizes the interests of both countries and securies the rights of both workers and employers.
Under this MOU th charging or deducting from salary any cost attendant to recruitment and deployment from workers’ salaries is prohibited.
In 2009, Jordan and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning domestic workers which covers not only the costs migrants incur at the pre-departure stage, but also while at the destination and even upon return.
Malaysia and Indonesia signed an MOU on the Recruitment and Placement of Indonesian Domestic Workers on 15 May 2006, amended by a Protocol on 30 May 2011, which provides protections for domestic workers.
The agreements established a clearly defined recruitment process which must be followed by all parties, including by private recruitment agencies (PRAs). They specify that the Canadian employers should first inform their domestic Employment and Immigration Departments about the availability of jobs and seek permission to recruit. If the permission is granted, the Departments then relays the information to the Philippines Department of Labour and Employment which in turn alerts licensed PRAs in the Philippines to the recruitment opportunities.
The agreement aims to meet the temporary seasonal needs of Canadian agricultural producers during peak harvesting and planting periods. Under this Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme the government of Trinidad and Tobago established public authorities in Trinidad and Tobago and in Toronto, Canada to oversee recruitment and placement.
The Republic of Korea introduced the Employment Permit System (EPS) in 2004, which recognized the need for low-skilled workers by Korean enterprises (particularly of small and medium sizes) in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and services, and introduced a government–to-government labour recruitment programme based on mandatory MOUs with 15 countries in Asia. A major achievement is the reduction in the average cost paid by a worker from US$3,509 under the trainee system in 2002 to US$927 under the EPS system in 2011.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation supported the creation of a platform for the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Diaspora in Switzerland, which connects the Diaspora in Switzerland with the purpose of joining forces to support the development of the country of origin beyond the many existing individual contributions at family or community level.
The association ‘Migration and Development’ is a civil society organization which has been engaged in integrated and participative development with migrants in southern Morocco for many years. Its engagement is anchored in the intention of enhancing the synergies between migrants and their territories in their community of origin. As such, the communities of origin are strongly involved in defining their needs and ensuring that migrants’ contributions are factored in when seeking to contribute to the development of communities of origin.