Workshop on Labour Migration and Labour Market Information Systems February 24-25, 2009 Québec City, Canada

2 WORKSHOP OVERVIEW  Ministries of Labour from 22 countries  Members of COSATE and CEATAL  Specialists from ILO, IOM, OAS, Inter-American Dialogue, Inter- American Conference of Social Security  Four panels: (1) the global economy and labour markets in the Americas (2) labour market information in the Americas (3) labour market information in Canada (4) the challenges of managing migration and mobility.

3 WORKSHOP PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES Purpose To discuss how labour market information systems (LMIS) contribute to inform migration policies and assist in mitigating the impacts of the current global economic crisis Objectives  Exchange best practices on the development of LMIS  Assess the impact of migration in the context of the global economic crisis  Gain broader understanding of the dynamic between labour mobility, migration and labour  Share perspectives among various stakeholders

4 THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND LABOUR MARKETS  Discussions about the social and labour-related effects of global financial crisis and its impact on migrant workers  Migrant workers and workers with lower qualifications could be among the most severely affected and most vulnerable sectors  The crisis is leading to increased levels of precariousness, with an expansion of the informal economy and unregistered work.

5 THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND LABOUR MARKETS Initiatives to create and preserve jobs and mitigate the effects of the crisis:  Maintain or increase social protection  Labour training and retraining  Strengthen public employment services  Assist companies at risk of employee dismissals  Increase public investment in infrastructure  Support micro-enterprises, SMEs and cooperatives  Create/Consolidate national instances for productivity and competitiveness

6 THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND LABOUR MARKETS Other issues:  Sectors demanding greater attention are labour mobility, labour standards and free trade  Best responses are developed through social dialogue  Need for bilateral social security agreements to ensure transferability and portability of social security benefits  Ratification of ILO and UN Conventions related to migrant workers  Need for harmonization of labour migration policies among countries  Regulation of migratory flows through bilateral agreements  Key roles of Labour ministries

7  Strong LMI systems are crucial in designing and implementing labour market and migration policies  Primary functions are to collect, analyze and disseminate information to facilitate informed decision-making.  Important to incorporate data on migration trends  Provide information about occupational shortages and surpluses, labour conditions and wages.  Respond to the need to rely on accurate and timely information LMI IN CANADA AND THE AMERICAS

8 Challenges  Produce user-friendly, timely and accurate information  Inadequate financial and human resources  Manage cross-agency relationships  Improve collaboration between information producers  Using various classification systems  Adapt to new technologies  Respond to new topics and information needs (e.g. green jobs)  Develop customer focus and manage customers’ expectations  Maintain response to surveys and reduce respondent burden  Increase awareness among policy-makers and general public

9 LMI IN CANADA AND THE AMERICAS The Canadian experience:  Various surveys  The Canadian Occupational Projection System  The National Occupational Classification Framework  Internet-based resources  Advisory Panel on Labour Market Information  Challenge of evaluating the utility and uses of LMI The recent OAS Continuous Labour Migration Reporting System for the Americas (SICREMI) is set to become a key resource for LMI and migration data in the Americas

10 THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING MIGRATION AND MOBILITY Basic elements for the ordered management of migration:  A guiding framework (ILO Conventions)  Harmonizing national laws to respond to international principles and commitments  LMIS that provide relevant and up-to-date information for guiding migration policies

11 THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING MIGRATION AND MOBILITY Issues to be addressed when formulating migration policies:  Differentiate between temporary and permanent migration  Address growing worldwide demand for qualified workers causing global competition for talent and brain drain  Circular migration and incentives for return  Labour rights of migrant workers  Workers education and training  Skills certification and competences  Dissemination of information  Social security portability

12 THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING MIGRATION AND MOBILITY Recommendations for improving labour migration policy:  Establish training and skill certification for migrant workers  Enter into pension transferability agreements  Reconsider foreign worker hiring quotas  Gather and exchange complete core information about migrants and migratory flows  Exchange best practices for implementing temporary migrant worker programs

13 CONCLUDING REMARKS  Rich hemispheric exchanges were held on labour migration, labour market information systems, and the repercussions of the current economic crisis.  Participants recognized that social dialogue (tripartite: governments, and employers’ and workers’ organizations) and regional ties are essential for tackling the current crisis and defining what actions should be taken.  Further information on the OAS Website: