Global Study on Recruitment Fees and Related Costs

A global study that examines the laws and policies of 90 countries, as well as numerous bilateral labour agreements and multi-stakeholder initiatives to identify the efforts Member States have made to regulate or prohibit recruitment fees and costs charged to workers. The global study supported the ILO’s adoption of the Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs, which is to be read in conjunction with the ILO’s General Principles and Operational Guidelines on Fair Recruitment.

This Global Comparative Study on Recruitment Fees and Related Costs was prepared ahead of the Tripartite Meeting of Experts on Recruitment Fees and Related Costs, which took place in Geneva from 14 to 16 November 2018. It brings together the findings from five regional reports that examined 90 national government responses, 18 bilateral agreements and 12 multistakeholder initiatives. The analysis of findings provides a clearer picture of how Member States have addressed the issue of recruitment fees and related costs at the policy level. Overall, the report advances ILO’s work on promoting Fair Recruitment, in particular to reduce recruitment fees and related costs paid by workers.