PROSPECTS podcast - Refugees at Work

The history of the ILO’s refugee engagement

In the second episode, we trace the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) historical engagement with refugee issues — from the post–World War I Russian refugee crisis to today’s debates on migration, labour, and displacement. Researcher and writer Katy Long, Executive Director of the California Migration Museum, joins us to explore how lessons from the past can inform policies that expand refugees’ access to decent work and sustainable livelihoods.

11 September 2025

Podcast description:

The number of refugees worldwide has doubled in the past decade to 32 million, making forced displacement one of the defining challenges of our time. Yet the struggle to balance humanitarian response, labour market realities, and long-term development is not new.

In this second episode of Refugees at work – What are their prospects?, Katy Long shares the ILO’s 100-year history navigating refugee and migration issues. From the League of Nations’ response to Russian refugees in the 1920s to the Cold War politics that reshaped the international system, the conversation reveals surprising continuities and enduring challenges.

We are exploring how historical approaches to employment, migration, and displacement continue to shape today’s policy choices.

(Produced by ILO PROSPECTS, with support from consultants Tom Netter and Philip Staercke)

Trascript - Episode 2.pdf - PDF 210.83 KB