Fair and Ethical Recruitment

Access to justice is one of the principal challenges faced by migrant workers. In many cases, abused or illegally dismissed workers find it difficult or even outright impossible to file and prosecute labor complaints against their foreign employers. Once employment is terminated, the migrant worker has very limited options. Oftentimes, they are deported or opt to return to the home country without receiving their unpaid salaries, benefits and other monetary claims.

The Viet Nam Association of Manpower and Supply (VAMAS) has published an updated Code of Conduct  for the recruitment of workers for overseas jobs to improve ethical recruitment and better protect migrant workers. 

The Code and its monitoring tools were launched with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in Hanoi on 24 April 2018. 

In 2017, Indonesia enacted a new Law on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers  (Law No 18/2017).  Replacing an old Law, the new Law reinforces policies to provide end-to-end protection to overseas workers, which including the measures as follows:.

The promotion of employment, improvement of labour market and mobility of skills in ECOWAS region fall within the framework of the implementation of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons in its three stages - entry, residence, and establishment - the details of which are set out in four additional protocols.

The ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) was signed on 15 December 1995 by the ASEAN Economic Ministers, allowing for Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) in various professions and an agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons (MNP) 

• Labour migration and mobility 

Bilateral agreements constitute an effective way to regulate migration flows and to foster development, both in the countries of origin and destination.

Mauritius has the opportunity to capitalise on migration as a tool for social development and economic growth. 

Mauritius became a member of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2006 with a view to getting the assistance of the organization for Labour Migration. Consequently, as from 2007, IOM has been assisting the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training (MLIRET) in facilitating the placement of Mauritian jobseekers in Canada. 

This paper is part of the IOM Migration Research Leaders Syndicate’s contribution toward the Global Compact for Migration. It is one of 26 papers that make up a consolidated Syndicate publication focused on proposing ways to address complex and pressing issues in contemporary international migration. The Migration Research Leaders Syndicate, convened as part of IOM’s efforts to extend policy and technical expertise in support of the Global Compact for Migration, comprises senior researchers from diverse geographic, disciplinary and thematic backgrounds. 

This report is based on a one-day consultation with private sector employers held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 20 November 2017. The consultation was organised by the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and the International Organization for Migrations (IOM), and in cooperation with the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the Global Forum for Migration and Development – Business Mechanism (GFMD – BM).

The ILO has been providing technical support to the regional network of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, within the framework of the project FOIL (Fortalecimiento de sistemas integrados de Formación, Orientación e Inserción Laboral).