MIGRANT SUPPORT MEASURES FROM AN EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS PERSPECTIVE (MISMES)

GLOBAL INVENTORY WITH A FOCUS ON COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN

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European Training Foundation, 2015Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged.

MIGRANT SUPPORT MEASURES FROM AN EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS PERSPECTIVE (MISMES)

GLOBAL INVENTORY WITH A FOCUS ON COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN JULY 2015

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Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 4

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 8

1.1 Definition of MISMES ......................................................................................................................9

1.2 Conceptual approach and limitations .......................................................................................... 10

1.3 Study methodology ...................................................................................................................... 12

2. LITERATURE REVIEW OF MISMES AND THEIR IMPACT ............................................................. 15

2.1 International job matching and placement services .................................................................... 15

2.2 Pre-departure information, orientation and/or training ................................................................. 18

2.3 Recognition of qualifications and skills ........................................................................................ 19

2.4 Cross-border skills transfer programmes .................................................................................... 20

2.5 Labour market reintegration of return migrants ........................................................................... 22

3. INVENTORY OF MAIN MISMES MODELS IN COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN ........................................ 25

3.1 Pre-migration MISMES ................................................................................................................ 26

3.1.1 International job matching and placement services and platforms (MISMES model 1) ....... 26

3.1.2 Pre-departure information, orientation and training (MISMES model 2) ............................... 30

3.1.3 Professional skills development for migration (MISMES model 3) ....................................... 33

3.1.4 Facilitating access to labour market information and protection in destination countries (MISMES model 4) ......................................................................................................................... 36

3.2 During-migration MISMES ........................................................................................................... 38

3.2.1 Programmes for capitalizing on skills across borders (MISMES model 5) ........................... 38

3.3 Post-migration MISMES .............................................................................................................. 40

3.3.1 Validation and recognition of migrants skills and qualifications (MISMES model 6) ........... 40

3.3.2 Pre-return and return employment information platforms and call centres (MISMES model 7) ......................................................................................................................... 44

3.3.3 Targeted entrepreneurship and income generating schemes for returnees (MISMES model 8) ......................................................................................................................................... 46

3.3.4 Assisted voluntary return and reintegration AVRR (MISMES model 9) ............................. 47

3.4 Multi-dimensional MISMES ......................................................................................................... 49

3.4.1 Migrant resource centres (MISMES model 10) ..................................................................... 49

3.4.2 Migrant welfare funds (MISMES model 11) .......................................................................... 51

4. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INVENTORY RESULTS ................................................................. 54

4.1 Summary findings from the 11 MISMES models ......................................................................... 54

4.2 Broader policy conclusions on MISMES as a policy tool ............................................................. 57

4.3 Recommendations for future MISMES design and implementation ............................................ 59

ANNEX: LIST OF INTERVIEWS, REPLIES TO QUESTIONNAIRE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... 63

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .................................................................................................... 65

REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 67

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LIST OF BOXES MISMES EXAMPLES

Box 3.1 Tunisian Technical Cooperation Agency (ATCT) .................................................................... 26

Box 3.2 Employment Permit System of South Korea ........................................................................... 27

Box 3.3 EURES European Job Mobility Portal................................................................................... 29

Box 3.4 IMIS Integrated Migration Information System in Egypt ....................................................... 29

Box 3.5 Overseas orientation initiatives in Canada .............................................................................. 31

Box 3.6 Italian E-Bosla project in Morocco ........................................................................................... 31

Box 3.7 Improvement of TVET schools for Egyptian youth in Fayoum................................................. 34

Box 3.8 GIZ Legal circular mobility of highly qualified labour from Tunisia ....................................... 35

Box 3.9 Model employment contracts in the Philippines ....................................................................... 37

Box 3.10 Return and Reintegrating Programme of Qualified Jamaican Nationals for Development ... 38

Box 3.11 TOKTEN programme Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals ..................... 40

Box 3.12 Transnational qualifications frameworks ................................................................................ 41

Box 3.13 Some examples of international recognition tools ................................................................. 43

Box 3.14 Moldova Call Centre for Returning Migrants .......................................................................... 45

Box 3.15 MITOS Migration Tools Options for Sustainability, and Business Ideas for Development: training and networking for SME creation ..................................................................... 46

Box 3.16 Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration in Moldova ..................................................... 48

Box 3.17 Migrant resource centres in Armenia ..................................................................................... 50

Box 3.18 Sri Lanka Overseas Workers Welfare Fund .......................................................................... 52

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PREFACE

This report is the European Training Foundations (ETF) latest contribution to an informed policy

dialogue on legal and circular migration. It aims to provide evidence-based, policy-oriented inputs to

European Neighbourhood countries from an employment and skills perspective. To this end, a dual

focus is offered: a global focus to review the migrant support measures implemented worldwide from

an employment and skills perspective; and a country focus to take stock and inform policy decisions in

that field in the framework of the European Union (EU) Mobility Partnerships with these

Neighbourhood countries. The study was coordinated by the Migration Policy Centre of the European

University Institute (EUI) under the supervision of the ETF.

This report presents the main findings of a global analytical inventory of migrant support measures

implemented in countries of origin from an employment and skills perspective (MISMES). These

measures were introduced to facilitate labour mobility and increase the developmental effect of

migration in sending countries. This is the first attempt to compile, classify and assess these measures

in terms of cost effectiveness and the outcomes of the migration process. Readers can also find the

MISMES methodological note (ETF, 2015a), and five additional country studies on the same topic

Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova1, Morocco and Tunisia all countries which concluded

Mobility Partnerships with the EU (ETF, 2015b-f).

The report is structured around four phases of migration (pre-migration, during-migration, post-

migration and multi-dimensional), and makes a compilation, classification and preliminary assessme