- Child Labour
- Collective bargaining and labour relations
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- Domestic workers
- Economic and social development
- Employment promotion
- Employment security
- Equality and discrimination
- Forced labour, human trafficking and slavery
- Freedom of association
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- Standards
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Labour migration
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© AFP/OREN ZIV 2014
Today, there are an estimated 232 million migrant workers around the world. Globalization, demographic shifts, conflicts, income inequalities and climate change will encourage ever more workers and their families to cross borders in search of employment and security. 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, migrants 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.
Key publication
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Report of the ILO Director-General
Fair migration: Setting an ILO agenda
Despite the positive experiences that can and should be cited, migration is still too frequently associated with unacceptable labour abuses in the face of which inaction is an abdication of responsibility.
Latest news
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© PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP 2014 -
© ILO 2014
Project in the spotlight
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Improving Labour Migration Governance
Combatting Human Trafficking in the Middle East
The project aims to better protect the rights of migrant workers in the area as well as encourage governments to develop effective mechanisms to respond to cases of forced labour and trafficking.
UN-wide cooperation
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ILO and the Global Migration Group
Improving global migration governance
The Global Migration Group (GMG) consists of 16 international organizations that work in cooperation to address migration issues, worldwide. This year the ILO assumes chairmanship.
Policies and programmes
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Good practices database
Our database provides a non-exhaustive list of current good practices implemented at the country level.
Focus on
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© Anwar Amro / AFP 2014
Migrant domestic workers
Only ten per cent of domestic workers worldwide are covered by the same laws and legislation as other workers. Many of them are also subject to deplorable working conditions, labour exploitation and human rights abuses.
Migrant myths
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What are your perceptions of migrants?
The number of people migrating has risen from 154 million in 1990 to 232 million in 2013, and for many years migrants have made up about three per cent of the world’s population. Today there are more migrants than ever because of the growing world population.
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
Did you know that...
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48 per cent of all international migrants are women, who are increasingly migrating for work