Mapping and analysis of temporary labour migration programmes and schemes in the Americas: good practices, priorities and challenges

Given the variety of temporary labour migration programmes being implemented in the Americas, there is an increasing need for a framework of analysis to monitor the progress and challenges faced by governments, employers and migrant workers in achieving labour mobility aligned with decent work objectives and the ILO's general principles and guidelines for fair recruitment, as reflected in the United Nations Network's Guidance on Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements (2022).

To this end, this study uses these guidelines as a framework for analysis, specifically the section "Government responsibilities in the implementation of BLMAs", which provides clear principles on shared responsibilities between countries of origin and destination from which it is possible to review the design and operation of the different temporary labour migration schemes in the Americas.

It is important to note that the aim of this exercise is not to rate the compliance of programmes against a standard, but to determine convergences in existing mobility practices managed by governments.

Along these lines, 11 temporary labour migration agreements in force in the continent, mostly in Central and North America, have been reviewed.