For more information

  1. Contact the ILO Labour migration branch

Labour migration

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.

Latest news

  1. Disability and work

    Now I know the great feeling of having decent work

    16 April 2021

    Jordanian Omar Abu Noa’aj has struggled to find work for years due to his physical disability. Last year, an ILO employment centre helped him secure his first formal job at a garment factory, giving him a new sense of independence and purpose.

  2. ILO Infostory

    Fair recruitment. Decent work

    15 April 2021

    Many migrant workers – particularly low skilled workers – find themselves paying large recruitment fees to intermediaries in order to secure work overseas. The recruitment processes are often unclear and opens them up to abuse. The ILO has been addressing the issue through its Fair Recruitment Initiative. Find out more in our latest Infostory.

  3. News

    Digital acceleration in the context of learning and skills development

    14 April 2021

    A learning event, organised by UNICEF and the ILO under the PROSPECTS Partnership, examined digital solutions to learning and skills development to support forcibly displaced children and youth as well as host community members in response to COVID-19 and beyond.

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Focus on

  1. Fair Recruitment Initiative

    Global ILO led initiative to help prevent human trafficking, protect the rights of migrant workers, reduce the cost of labour migration and enhance development gains.

Key publications

  1.

    The migrant pay gap: Understanding wage differences between migrants and nationals

  2.

    Employment and decent work in refugee and other forced displacement contexts

  3.

    Global Study on Recruitment Fees and Related Costs

  4.

    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