1 September 2016: The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report underscoring an urgent need to ensure that employment policies and labor migration policies in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region complement each other. The report finds an increase in the number of migrant workers living in LAC, from 3.2 to 4.3 million, and identifies challenges and opportunities presented by this trend.

The report, titled ‘Labour migration in Latin America and the Caribbean,’ identifies and analyzes 11 main migration corridors used by workers throughout LAC, including nine inter-regional, South-South corridors that connect countries in the region, as well as two extra-regional South-North corridors with the US and Spain. The report finds that these corridors “are being constantly redesigned as to their routes, ways of intermediation and recruitment, transport systems, fixing practices” and other characteristics. Migration flows in these corridors are also affected by climate, environment and governance issues, like political and social instability, the report finds. The report also highlights other features of the migration corridors, including low access to social protection, the feminization of labor migration, and abuse, discrimination and exploitation suffered by migrant workers.

Launching the report in Mexico City, Mexico, José Manuel Salazar, ILO, said migrants’ primary motivation is the search for work opportunities. Nevertheless, he added that migratory policies are “often seen from the border control and national security paradigm, and do not take into account the labour dimension.”

The report stresses fragmentation in regional migratory agreements, alongside a lack of coherence between employment and migratory policies. It recommends that “stakeholders in the world of work,” such as labor ministries and workers’ organizations, should participate more actively in creating migration strategies, and that migrants should participate more actively in collective bargaining processes and unionization. The ILO further recommends, inter alia: promoting regular, safe and equal migration; improving work conditions for migrant workers; using a rights perspective to address migration; promoting the perspectives of gender and the protection of migrant children; and raising awareness about the contribution of migrant workers to development.

Finally, the report underscores the importance of implementing good governance mechanisms to address labor migration, as well as to reduce poverty in migrants’ origin countries and to maintain and increase inclusive economic growth in their destination countries. Such mechanisms could also help to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, which aims to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.” SDG target 8.8 calls to “protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.” [UN Press Release] [ILO Press Release] [Publication Website (Spanish)]