Labor Mobility

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.

France issues Temprary Residence permits to non-EU foreign nationals who benefit from an employment contract of more than 3 months concluded following, in particular, the difficulties encountered by an employer in recruiting on French soil of employees already admitted to the labor market.

The temporary residence card (STC) "Temporary worker" is issued for any employment contract of between 3 months and 12 months.

The Flexi Permit is a renewable two year permit which allows the eligible person to work and live in the Kingdom of Bahrain without an employer (Sponsor) where they can work in any job with any number of employers on full or part-time basis.

Flexi Visa holders will be issued a renewable work permit with two years validity, health insurance coverage, and a return ticket at the end of the contract period or when the worker decides to return to his or her home country.  It also allows the migrant worker to legally work in Bahrain without an employer sponsor.

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. 

To improve on information gathering and analysis, a research unit was established in 2017 to collect and analyse migration-related data in the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in Egypt. The Migration Data Analysis Unit aims to fill in existing information gaps by conducting periodic assessments and producing key statistics on migration issues to support the development of evidence-based policy and enhance migration management in Egypt.

REFRAME will contribute to taking forward the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative, which was launched in 2014 and is a global multi-stakeholder’s Fair Recruitment Initiative to prevent human trafficking and forced labour; protect the rights of workers, including migrant workers, from abusive and fraudulent recruitment and placement processes; and to reduce the cost of labour migration and enhance development outcomes for migrant workers and their families, as well as for countries of origin and destination.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is partnering with the Ministry of Manpower of the Arab Republic of Egypt to address youth employment in line with Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy – Egypt’s Vision 2030. 

The independent, not-for-profit organization 'Permits Foundation' campaigns to improve work permit regulations in countries around the world to make it easier for partners of expatriate staff to work in their country of temporary residence. According to the Permits Foundation, allowing the partners of highly skilled employees associated with international business, investment and development to work creates a 'triple win' for host countries, employers and migrant families. 

The bilateral Agreement on the free movement of persons (AFMP) confers upon the citizens of Switzerland and of the member states of the European Union (EU) the right to freely choose their place of employment and residence within the national territories of the contracting parties.



This is conditional, however, on possession by the individuals concerned of a valid employment contract, being self-employed, or in the case of their not being in gainful employment, proof of financial independence and full health insurance coverage.

Since the early 1990s, Germany has concluded bilateral agreements with Central and Eastern European countries for the seasonal employment of their nationals. The agreements aim to protect the rights of seasonal foreign workers in Germany and to fill labour market gaps.