Overview

Labour migration is increasingly shaping the future of work, driven by demographic change, ageing populations, technological advancement and growing skills shortages across many sectors. At the same time, it remains a critical pathway for employment, skills development, income generation and social mobility for millions of workers and their families. As governments and businesses respond to evolving labour market demands, there is growing recognition that labour mobility should be viewed not only as a migration issue, but also as a workforce development and human capital priority.

Within business and human rights discussions, labour migration has often been framed primarily through risks and vulnerabilities. While addressing exploitation and adverse human rights impacts remains essential, there is increasing interest in how responsible business conduct and effective labour mobility systems can also contribute to positive outcomes for migrant workers, businesses and labour markets. This includes supporting skills recognition and development, improving workforce resilience, promoting inclusion, and enabling workers to fully utilize their skills and experience.

Aligned with the Forum theme, Building Resilience, Advancing Rights, and building on the partnership between the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Employment Confederation (WEC), this session will explore how governments, businesses, employment service providers, civil society and international organizations can work together to strengthen rights-based, skills-responsive labour mobility pathways. The discussion will examine the role of enabling policy frameworks, responsible business practices and public-private collaboration in supporting skills matching, access to training, social inclusion and decent work for migrant workers. It will also identify practical approaches to building labour mobility systems that respond to labour market needs while delivering benefits for workers, employers and communities alike.

Why it matters

This conversation is important because migrant workers are frequently viewed through a protection lens, while their contributions to workforce resilience, skills development and economic growth receive less attention. The session will explore how rights-based labour mobility systems can better recognize and leverage migrant workers' skills and experience while advancing inclusion and meeting evolving labour market needs.

Key questions

The discussion will explore the following questions:

• How can labour mobility systems be designed and implemented to generate positive outcomes for migrant workers while contributing to workforce resilience and economic inclusion?

• How can businesses apply responsible business conduct to respect human rights in ways that not only prevent harm, but also promote migrant worker inclusion, participation, skills development and career progression throughout the employment lifecycle?

• What practical examples demonstrate that inclusive labour mobility and skills development can contribute both to worker empowerment and workforce resilience, and what changes are needed to scale these approaches across labour mobility systems and workplaces?

• What forms of public-private collaboration are needed to promote migrant worker inclusion, strengthen decent work practices and skills recognition, and build more resilient labour mobility pathways?

Who should attend?

This session is intended for governments, businesses, employment service providers, migrant worker advocates, representatives and civil society organizations, as well as international organizations, researchers and practitioners working on migration, business and human rights.

What participants will gain

Expected Outcomes

• Promote a balanced narrative on labour migration that recognizes both protection needs and positive development outcomes.

• Highlight concrete examples of how businesses can contribute to migrant worker empowerment and inclusion through responsible business conduct and Quality Standards, including approaches to skills development and migrant inclusion 

• Strengthen dialogue between business, government, employment service providers, and international organizations on rights-based and skills-responsive labour mobility pathways.