Strengthening public and private sector capacities to harness the contributions of international migrant workers and facilitate their social and labour inclusion in Chile and Uruguay

International migration in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is mainly intra-regional, characterized by mixed flows of people who are predominately of working age. According to IOM in 2020, 11 million international migrants residing in Latin America and the Caribbean came from countries within the region itself. The current situation in Venezuela has had a significant impact on migration flows in the region and continues to constitute one of the largest displacement and migration crises in the world. Notwithstanding, the labour profile of the migrant population reflects opportunities and potentials for the world of work. In terms of employment, migrants contribute productively to economic sector with labour shortages, also revitalizing an aging labour force in many countries. Access to decent work is crucial since it allows societies to harness the contributions of the migrant population, promotes social justice, and it is essential for migrants to achieve their fundamental rights at work. However, this access can be hindered based on migration status, administrative procedures, regulations, difficulties around the recognition of qualifications from other countries and skills, language barriers, challenges in the formalization of business ventures, intercultural differences and/or discriminatory practices, mainly affecting migrant women and young people. In this sense, both private and public sectors have a fundamental role to play in creating the conditions for migrants to contribute their skills and knowledge to the world of work. However, the lack of official primary quality, up to date, data from the National Statistical Offices on the reality of migrant workers and, the lack of tools to connect supply and demand, facilitate the validation of qualifications and skills, and promote social cohesion hinders that objective. At present, three challenges have already been identified: (1) A lack of data regarding the contributions and challenges of labour migration to sustainable development, (2) Restricted capacities and a lack of coordination from governments, employers, workers and civil society organizations to promote and facilitate the social and labour inclusion of migrant workers, (3) A lack of tools and support to strengthen policies, plans, and programs to facilitate social and labour inclusion at the local, national, and regional levels. Through a whole-of-society approach at the national, local, and regional level in Chile and Uruguay, and by supporting tripartite social dialogue initiatives, this project seeks to strengthen the capacities of public and private sectors to improve the social and labour inclusion of international migrants in the world of work. Thus, this project will collect relevant information and data on the characterization of migrant labour and labour profiles to increase knowledge, systematize the labour needs of the migrant population, promote data-interoperability and strengthen the capacities of public servants from national statistical institutes for the production and use of data on labour migration. Furthermore, it will seek to facilitate coordination and promote social dialogue with employers', workers' organizations, and the government at the local and central levels to provide a comprehensive response to migrants’ worker’s needs. The project will also strengthen policies, plans, and programs on the social and labour inclusion of migrants. As such, programs to certify skills and access decent work will be strengthened, especially among women, diversity, and youth. Technical assistance will also be provided to implement Uruguay's "National Integration Plan" and Chile's "Employability Route."

Project symbol

RLA/23/06/CAN

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Santiago

Start date

05/11/2024

End date

28/12/2027

Total allocation

1471263

Total expenditure

Status

Active

495482

Development Partners

Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Country/Countries

Chile
Uruguay

Outcomes

Outcome 6: Protection at work for all