Fair recruitment of Guatemalan migrant workers in Mexico through South-South Cooperation

Global migration flows are increasingly including a strong South-South connotation. Labour mobility from one country to another has a key role to play in economic development and mutual growth of both the receiving and sending countries.

As migration has increased in many regions, so too have recruitment agencies, many of which remain effectively ungoverned and which exploit migrant workers. Hence the need to improve recruitment, registry and governance processes of migration flows in order to provide adequate protection to migrant workers. The importance of improving fair recruitment practices in Central America is growing. This project will be implemented within a South-South cooperation framework involving an exchange of experiences and practices between Mexico and Guatemala on the issue of labour migration.

The overall objective of this project will be to protect the working and living conditions of Guatemalan migrant workers in Mexico through the promotion of fair and safe recruitment.

Its specific objectives are to:
  1. Expand knowledge regarding existing legislation and practices on the recruitment and registry of Guatemalan migrant workers and the regulation of Private Employment Agencies and other labour intermediaries in Mexico.
  2. Strengthen institutional capacities of the public employment service on recruitment of migrant workers and on how to keep a registry of private employment agencies and other labour intermediaries of Guatemalan migrant workers in Mexico.
  3. Disseminate general information about the registry of private employment agencies and reliable available recruitment processes of Guatemalan migrant workers in Mexico.

The project strategy is, on the one hand, to increase the technical capacities and cross-border coordination through South-South Cooperation mechanisms, between competent institutions of both countries to facilitate labour migration experiences that respect the principles enshrined in international conventions on migrant workers; and, on the other, to increase existing information on fair recruitment for safe and decent jobs that respect the human (including labour rights) of migrant workers.