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

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.

Latest news

  1. © Matt Ming 2020

    COVID-19: Protecting workers in the workplace

    COVID-19 cruelly highlights inequalities and threatens to deepen them

    30 March 2020

  2. News

    ILO and SDC launch new programme to protect migrant workers in vulnerable situations in the Arab States, with a focus on workers from Africa

    30 March 2020

  3. Statement by the United Nations Network on Migration

    ILO joins the UN Network on Migration in calling attention to the plight of migrant workers during this global crisis – to ensure we do not leave migrants and other vulnerable groups behind

    23 March 2020

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Highlights

  1.

    ITC-ILO Course

    Access to Decent Work for Refugees and Other Forcibly Displaced Persons

    20-24 April 2020

  2.

    ITC-ILO Course

    Establishing Fair Recruitment Processes

    4-8 May 2020

Focus on

  1.

    Promoting green jobs among young people in Asia

  2.

    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. Report

    ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers – Results and Methodology

    05 December 2018

  2. Policy coherence paper

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

    20 December 2017

  3. International Labour Conference

    Addressing governance challenges in a changing labour migration landscape

    Conference paper | 10 April 2017

  4. General Survey

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

    22 February 2016

  5. 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