Uganda’s Labour Market Assessment and Skills Mapping to Boost Reintegration of Returnees in the country

On 25 March 2025, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) programme funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), validated the findings of the Labour Market Assessment and Skills Mapping for the Reintegration of Returned Migrant Workers commissioned in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area. The validation brought together over 20 stakeholders from government, social partners and civil society organizations, with the aim of strengthening reintegration pathways by aligning skills gained abroad with domestic labour market needs.

The report, bridged critical data gaps on returnees and reintegration, presented key insights into the economic contributions of returnees, their skills profiles, and the gaps in Uganda’s current reintegration support systems. By validating this report, stakeholders signalled their collective support for transforming the reintegration of returnees into a structured and impactful process.

The report was developed in response to a growing recognition that while returned migrant workers bring valuable skills, experience, and networks, reintegration remains largely ad hoc, unsupported, and fragmented. Without a deliberate framework, many returnees struggle to secure meaningful employment or contribute to the local economy, which sometimes pushes them to re-migrate irregularly and often in unsafe conditions. The assessment noted the absence of consistent data on returnees' employment outcomes and skill levels, which has hampered efforts to design targeted interventions.

The report highlighted various challenges returnees face in regard to limited access to finance, weak business development services, low visibility of available training and reintegration opportunities, and lack of coordination among responsible stakeholders. The participants, drawn from across government and non-state actors, engaged in an in-depth discussion of the findings and offered substantive feedback which improved the report.

Among the outcomes of the validation workshop was consensus on the need for an improved skills matrix to classify returnees’ capabilities both at the time of departure and upon return. Stakeholders called for a clearer definition of the returnee population distinguishing between voluntary, forced, and trafficked returnees and urged the final report to include gender-sensitive analysis and better disaggregation of data. It was also agreed that existing Business Development Services (BDS) need to be mapped and assessed to understand how accessible they are to returnees and whether they meet the needs of returnees.

One of the key recommendations emerging from the validation was the establishment of a national fund to support returnees, especially in facilitating access to finance for business start-ups. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of tailored entrepreneurship training covering financial literacy, business planning, digital skills, and soft skills. They also recommended that returnees be engaged as community ambassadors to promote regular migration pathways and discourage irregular migration.

Participants stressed the urgency of coordinated reintegration programming grounded in labour market realities. This includes short-term training for quick job absorption in trades like waste recycling, barista services, compound design, and digital marketing. A need was also identified for recognition-of-prior-learning (RPL) mechanisms to be clearly detailed in the report, with specific reference to institutions supporting the certification of skills acquired abroad.

Another notable outcome was the recognition that returnees’ reintegration must align with Uganda’s broader employment strategies. This requires identifying economic sectors where returnees’ skills are most needed and creating pathways for their integration into existing value chains. Stakeholders recommended a more intentional collaboration with employers to assess the demand for specific skills and match them with returnee capabilities.

In closing, MGLSD confirmed that the draft report was validated pending the incorporation of feedback provided during the session. The ministry encouraged all participants to continue submitting written inputs to ensure the final version captures the complexity of reintegration challenges and opportunities.