Labour migration, by its very nature, is interwoven with overall labour market policies and specific policy areas such as workers’ rights, skills development and skills recognition, job creation, education and vocational training and social protection. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) advocates for labour migration to be addressed as a labour issue by labour authorities in collaboration with social partners – employers’ and workers’ organizations – and other relevant actors. It is this social dialogue between authorities and social partners which is crucial to the elaboration and implementation of credible, viable and sustainable labour migration policies and practices. However, in many countries of both origin and destination, non-governmental actors most directly involved with the labour market are not fully recognized or incorporated in the process of migration policy development.

It is essential to recognize how labour migration affects labour markets and how the participation of social partners can help incorporate a social dimension into labour migration policies. Social partners can provide early information on labour market needs and should also be consulted on labour migration admission policies, e.g. in the establishment of quotas, shortage occupation lists, etc. 

Labour migration and free circulation of labour are increasingly featuring on the agenda of regional integration processes. Indeed, experience has shown that regional agreements on labour migration often have a more immediate impact on how people move, and under what conditions, than international conventions or treaties. This underscores the need for regional policy approaches and coordination for the harmonisation of labour policies, including on policy issues such as recognition of professional qualifications, social security coverage and portability of benefits. The inclusion of mechanisms for social dialogue is consequently essential also at the sub-regional and regional levels.

Lack of labour protection for migrant workers undermines protection generally for all workers. The many international labour standards adopted over the years by the International Labour Conference of the ILO are important for safeguarding the dignity and rights of migrant workers. In principle, all international labour standards, unless otherwise stated, are applicable to migrant workers.

From its very inception, the ILO also resolved to protect "the interests of workers employed in countries other than their own" (ILO Constitution, 1919, Preamble, recital 2), and has pioneered the development of specific international standards for the governance of labour migration and protection of  migrant workers. it has adopted two Conventions, in 1949 and 1975, which are accompanied by non-binding Recommendations.

The human desire to seek decent employment and livelihoods is at the core of the migration-development nexus. As more people cross borders to work in the coming years, fair and effective migration policies that protect the rights of migrant workers and reduce the costs of labour migration will be essential for achieving economic growth and enhancing development outcomes for migrant workers and their families, and for countries of origin and destination. The ILO works with governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to improve labour migration policies that can achieve more equitable development with a focus on the needs of working men and women who generate the benefits towards development and who support their families and communities in countries of origin and destination.

Other important targets relating to labour migration are found in SDG 10 on reducing inequality within and among countries: “facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies” (target 10.7) and “by 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent” (target 10.c).

Globally, more than 100 million people are forcibly displaced by a number of drivers, which include (but are not limited) to conflict, violence and human rights violations, as well as natural disasters and climate change. Overwhelmingly, forced displacement affects emerging economies either as origin, transit or host countries.

Refugees generally face significant additional barriers to accessing the formal labour market, including legal and administrative restrictions, language barriers, discrimination, and practical difficulties in obtaining recognition of the skills and qualifications acquired in their home countries. As a result, they are often relegated to informal-economy jobs characterized by lack of social protection, low wages and poor working conditions, exploitation along with little opportunity for formal skills development or benefiting from business development services.

Despite these challenges, refugees and other forcibly displaced persons have important social and economic contributions to make. They bring skills, know-how and talent, and can make up for labour market shortages in host and transit countries. Refugee workers can also offset the consequences of changing demographics, such as population ageing and the resulting decline in the workforce.