Labour Mobility and Ethical Recruitment

Labour migration is increasingly recognized as an important aspect of development in countries of origin and as an opportunity to address demographic changes as well as a shrinking workforce in countries of destination. There are around 170 million migrant workers globally out of the estimated 281 million international migrants across the world.

If well managed, labour mobility can be highly beneficial to migrants, their countries of origin and destination.

IOM’s work in the area of labour mobility focuses on:

• Promoting ethical recruitment of migrant workers, through International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) and cooperation with both public and private sectors;
• Ensuring that migrants participating in labour mobility schemes are well prepared for employment (pre-departure orientation, skills and competencies verification, counselling about rights and responsibilities);
• Enhancing partnerships and cooperation between countries of origin and destination to facilitate labour and skills mobility.

IOM is also actively advocating for rights-based, safe and regular labour mobility opportunities and protection of migrant workers.

Current Projects

• MATCH – Hiring African Talents 
• Sustaining and Scaling Private Sector Engagement to Protect Migrant Workers in Europe
• Displaced Talent for Europe (DT4E)
• Enhancing IOM’s protection capacity in the EEA+ Region to protect the rights of migrants subject to labour exploitation