Regulating and measuring recruitment fees and costs

Recognizing that the high economic and social costs faced by migrants can seriously hinder progress toward sustainable development, the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — specifically Goal 10.7 — calls for making migration safer, more orderly, and more responsible.

Similarly, the high recruitment fees that many workers, especially those in low-skilled jobs, are forced to pay have been increasingly recognized as a key factor leading to their exploitation and abuse. The World Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO) jointly oversee Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 10.7.1, which measures “the recruitment costs paid by an employee as a proportion of their monthly income in the destination country.”