Labor Mobility

This action was submitted through the GFMD Mayors Mechanism Call to Local Action for Migrants and Refugees.

Portugal was (one of) the first countries in the world to approve its National Plan to implement the Global Compact on Migration. The National Implementation Plan is structured around the following 5 fundamental axes: 

• Promotion of safe, orderly and regular migration; 

• Improvement of migration flow organization and integrated border management processes; 

• Promotion and qualification of immigrant reception and integration mechanisms;

• Supporting the connection of migrants to their country of origin and their return projects; 

In pursuit of exploring bilateral cooperation on migrant workers with countries that have reformed their regulation on migrant workers so as to provide more protection for them, Indonesia has launched cooperation between Bahrain and the Philippines.

This cooperation includes, for example, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Manpower and Transmigration of the Republic of Indonesia and the Department of Labor and Employment of the Republic of the Philippines Concerning Migrant Workers.

This programme between the governments of India and the United Arab Emirates links the electronic emigration and immigration systems of the two respective governments, with the objective of reducing contract substitution and improving government oversight over recruitment practices. The process for implementation has been made available to other ADD Member States for replication, as well as to the wider GFMD community through the Platform for Partnerships.

The Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme (CIOP) implemented currently in the context of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) helps operationalize a coordinated management system for the provision of tailored pre-employment, pre-departure and postarrival orientation (PEO, PDO and PAO) services for temporary contractual workers (TCWs) in the GCC states. With technical support from IOM, the governments work towards developing a CIOP regional guide and a corresponding management system, which will then be tailored to operations in the specific country contexts of ADD Member States.

Designed as a regional programme, THAMM supports national institutions to draft and implement policies and mechanisms for safe, orderly and regular migration, as well as fostering cooperation and regional exchange between relevant stakeholders in North Africa. It will also develop and pilot mobility schemes, in particular for young women and men in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, who are interested in a dual vocational education training in Germany, or for skilled workers seeking recognition of their qualifications to start working in Germany.

The reinforced integration effort is one of the Government’s six main areas of commitment. The main challenges are low employment rates among immigrants, a skills gap, and exclusion along economic, social and cultural dividing lines. The goal of the strategy is, through a coordinated and comprehensive effort, to increase labour participation and participation in society in general,.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is provides a series of media training programmes, and has developed a toolkit and glossary for journalists to ensure that journalists are able to (a) share accurate and unbiased information with potential migrants, and (b) contribute to a balanced public narrative on migration. 

In addition, each year the ILO hosts a Global Media Competition on Labour Migration to promote and reward quality reporting on relevant themes such as fair recruitment and the future of labour migration.

The Japanese Economic Partnership Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines established the legal framework to receive Indonesian and Filipino nurses and care workers. Japan has been receiving candidates to become nurses and care workers from these countries for years. The program provides language training and the opportunity to work in Japanese hospitals. Candidates can take the examination to become qualified nurses and care workers and access work in Japan beyond the 3- or 4 year- period foreseen by the program.

Programmes promoting effective management of health workers' migration, health system capacity building, and skill/knowledge transfer from the diaspora are underway in Somalia, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Ghana. 

In Somalia, IOM’s "Migration for Development in Africa" (MIDA) is an ongoing capacity-building programme, which helps to mobilize competencies acquired by African nationals abroad for the benefit of Africa's development.