San Salvador - Representatives of the eleven member countries of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM), met to discuss the achievements and challenges in labor mobility from the perspective of workers, employers and governments. The event was jointly organized by the RCM, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).

International migrant workers make up 5 percent of the world's workforce and are an integral part of the global economy. By 2019, the United States alone accounted for more than 13 million working people from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, who were primarily employed in the construction, natural resources and health services industries.

Labor migration can bring benefits to migrants, their families and their communities of origin, with renewed income, skills and opportunities; for example, through labor mobility programs. For these to be effective, they must be linked to employment policies and have a focus on labor rights and equitable hiring.

The activity, entitled Forum on labor mobility programs: achievements and challenges in labor mobility from the perspective of workers, employers and governments, was held on May 26 and 27 in San Salvador and focused on the exchange of best practices of existing labor mobility programs and their results. First, a panel presented the experiences of the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico with temporary migration programs for their nationals to work in the United States and Canada.

The panel discussed the importance of pre-departure orientation sessions for workers to achieve their integration in the destination countries, the continuous dissemination of information to prevent unscrupulous practices in hiring and recruitment, as well as informing audiences on the existing channels for accessing social security services.

Subsequently, the experience of employers' organizations with this type of program was discussed, highlighting the role of business organizations in the governance of migration and how a due diligence and fair recruitment approach can promote and guarantee labor rights. A panel was conducted with the perspective of workers who have benefited from these programs, highlighting the benefits of these initiatives for both migrant workers and their families, sharing their experiences, and proposing opportunities for improvement.

Of the 25 mechanisms identified by the IOM in the study "Labor Migration Mechanisms in Mesoamerica" (available here in Spanish), 14 had been created through bilateral agreements that seek to prevent irregular migration flows by channeling migrant workers through legal mechanisms and establishing measures to protect their rights. Their impact has a relative impact, since it is still observed that many migrant workers use alternative or irregular means to work abroad.

"Significant challenges remain that need to be addressed," noted Michele Klein-Solomon, IOM regional director for Central America, North America and the Caribbean. "At times, the complexity of some migration processes can result in many of these employers opting to use the services of intermediaries who operate outside of the legal framework for recruitment."

For her part, Elena Montobbio, ILO Director for Central America, Haiti, Panama and the Dominican Republic, pointed out that "labor mobility programs must be articulated and connected with the strengthening and recognition of capacities and skills of workers, since it is not only about the number of people hired, but understanding that they are part of the labor market, and therefore must be articulated with employment policies, including the migration policies of the countries."

One of the most important outcomes of this forum was that government delegations began the process of consultation and discussion of the RCM Regional Labor Mobility Plan, which will aim to provide strategic lines of action to better articulate efforts within the region to expand safe labor migration channels that respond to the interests of both employers and governments, and that have migrant workers and their families at the center.

"Also, from the perspective of migrant workers, portability of pension or other social security benefits is a critical area for improvement," Klein-Solomon added.

IOM is developing these actions with the ILO within the framework of the Regional Program on Migration, funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the U.S. Department of State.