Just released

  1. Guiding principles on the access of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons to the labour market

  2. Inter-regional Meeting on Labour Mobility, Arab States and Asia

    3 - 4 December 2019, Bangkok, Thailand

  1. Global Compact for Migration

  2. © Eric Sales/ADB

    Climate Change and migration

    “The world has come a long way in realizing that acting on climate change and promoting job creation and social inclusion are intertwined challenges of the 21st century, and ones that we must confront together if we are to realize the aspirations of social justice.”

    ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, (At the twenty-first session of the World Conference on Climate change COP21, held from 30 November to 11 December 2015 in Paris, France) Read more

  3. ILO Latin American and Caribbean Labour Migration Platform

    In Spanish only

  1. Contact the ILO Labour migration branch

Labour migration

According to the ILO global estimates on migrant workers, in 2017, migrant workers accounted for 164 million of the world’s approximately 258 million international migrants. Migrant workers contribute to growth and development in their countries of destination, while countries of origin greatly benefit from their remittances and the skills acquired during their migration experience. Yet, the migration process implies complex challenges in terms of governance, migrant workers' protection, migration and development linkages, and international cooperation. The ILO works to forge policies to maximize the benefits of labour migration for all those involved.

Migrant workers and COVID-19

The ILO labour migration branch is producing tools and guidance to address the impacts of COVID-19 on migrant and refugee workers, and support economies and societies to build back better. Policy guidance is available in key thematic areas and at the regional and country level. See here. Join the ILO this week (22-26 June 2020) for a series of activities to exchange on key issues facing migrant and refugee workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Latest news

  1. Statement by the United Nations Network on Migration

    Standing in Solidarity with Migrants: Supporting Civil Society and other Stakeholders in Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic

    08 July 2020

    ILO joins the UN Network on Migration calling for increased recognition for the work of workers and employers’ organizations, civil society and other actors, who are playing a key role in protecting migrant workers and those rendered most vulnerable by the pandemic and responses to it. ​

  2. Syria: IV Brussels Conference

    Statement by the ILO Director-General to the Brussels IV Conference supporting Syria and the region

    30 June 2020

    “Let us focus on building back better with a human-centred approach with and for refugees and their host communities,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder has said to the Brussels IV Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region, convened by the EU.

  3. COVID-19 and the Workers' Organisations

    COVID-19 Pandemic and Migrant workers: the experience from Africa...

    30 June 2020

    Migrant workers are exposed to vulnerable situations, decent work deficits and inequalities in normal times, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated their situations. Joel Odigie from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) shares the challenges faced by migrants workers in Africa and the actions taken by Unions to support them in the region.

List all

Highlights

  1.

    ITC-ILO Course

    Access to Decent Work for Refugees and Other Forcibly Displaced Persons

    5-9 October 2020

  2.

    ITC-ILO Course

    E-learning on Fair Recruitment Processes for Practitioners

    7 September–11 October 2020

Focus on

  1. Fair Recruitment Initiative

Policies and programmes

  1. Good practices database

    Our database provides a non-exhaustive list of current good practices implemented at the country level.

Selected publications

  1. Guidelines for skills modules in bilateral labour migration agreements

    22 June 2020

  2. Report

    ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers – Results and Methodology

    05 December 2018

  3. Policy coherence paper

    General practical guidance on promoting coherence among employment, education/training and labour migration policies

    20 December 2017

  4. International Labour Conference

    Addressing governance challenges in a changing labour migration landscape

    Conference paper | 10 April 2017

  5. General Survey

    Promoting fair migration - General Survey concerning the migrant workers instruments (2016)

    22 February 2016

  6. List all publications

  • Migrants make significant and essential contributions to the economic, social and cultural development of their host countries and their communities back home. But too often these contributions go unrecognized..."

    Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General