ILO backs Barbados’ commitment to decent work and labour mobility

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (ILO News) – Since 1 October 2025, Barbados has been one of four Caribbean Community (CARICOM) pioneer states implementing full free movement of nationals under a Protocol of Enhanced Cooperation, a milestone that has sharpened the urgency of building a coherent, rights-based labour migration framework. An ILO technical mission to Bridgetown on 18 and 19 May 2026 brought together government officials, employers, workers' representatives, and regional partners to advance that framework, in direct support of the labour migration goals expressed in Barbados’ Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2025–2030 and in the ILO Regional Strategy on Labour Migration and Human Mobility 2023-2030.

Tripartite voices at the table

The ILO delegation comprised Resel Melville, Communication Officer and Labour Migration focal point for ILO Caribbean, and Francesco Carella, Regional Labour Migration Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean. The two-day mission engaged the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and the Third Sector (MLSP), immigration authorities, the National Insurance and Social Security Service, the Barbados Statistical Service, the Barbados Employers' Confederation (BEC), the Barbados Workers' Union (BWU) and the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB).

Employers’ and workers’ representatives underlined the importance of involving social partners in the design of labour migration policies. Workers' representatives raised concerns about equal treatment for migrant workers, social integration and barriers faced by migrant workers in exercising freedom of association. They also confirmed that unions provide support to migrant workers, including in sectors such as domestic work and construction. Employers’ representatives emphasized the need to place skills at the centre of policy discussions, particularly in sectors such as construction, care and other areas facing labour shortages. They also called for clearer information on which jobs are attracting migrant workers and how migration can support Barbados’ broader development needs.

Closing coordination gaps

A recurring theme across consultations was the need to strengthen institutional coordination. Currently, responsibilities for labour migration span several ministries, including Home Affairs and Information, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Health and Wellness and Education Transformation. The discussions pointed to the need for more formal data-sharing arrangements between agencies, stronger labour market information systems and better use of information from administrative processes and services relating to work permits, inspections, registration and employment services.

Building on international standards

Day two featured technical sensitization sessions that provided detailed information on international labour standards, covering the Migration for Employment Convention, 1949 (No. 97) - which Barbados has ratified- as well as the Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143) and the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181). Participants also worked through the ILO's six-step process for developing a national labour migration policy and were provided with initial information on the integration of Fair Recruitment Principles.

Next steps

The mission confirmed the strong, continuing will of the tripartite partners in Barbados to advance towards a comprehensive labour migration policy, whether as a standalone instrument or embedded within the emerging broader national migration or people development frameworks. Building on these findings, the ILO will focus in the coming period on providing targeted technical assistance for labour mobility under the Barbados DWCP 2025–2030 which is grounded in the ILO's regional strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean and advances Sustainable Development Goal 8 Decent work and economic growth- for all workers in the region.