ILO’s 2016 Guiding principles on the access of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons to the labour market
The provision of decent work opportunities for all, including nationals, refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, in countries of origin, host and third countries is important.
A Tripartite Technical Meeting on the Access of Refugees and other Forcibly Displaced Persons to the Labour Market was held in 2016, where the principles were adopted to guide the work of Member States:
- Governance frameworks on access to labour markets. Members should formulate national policies, and national action plans to ensure the protection of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons in the labour market. National policies and action plans should be formulated in conformity with international labour standards, decent work and humanitarian principles, and foster opportunities for formal and decent work that support self-reliance. Members should make easily available information regarding laws and regulation applicable to entrepreneurship.
- Economic and employment policies for inclusive labour markets. Members should formulate coherent macroeconomic growth strategies, including active labour market policies that support investment in decent job creation that benefit all workers.
- Labour rights and equality of opportunity and treatment. Members should adopt or reinforce national policies to promote equality of opportunity and treatment for all, in particular gender equality, recognizing the specific needs of women, youth and persons with disabilities, with regard to fundamental principles and rights at work, working conditions, access to quality public services, wages and the right to social security benefits for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, and to educate refugees and other forcibly displaced persons about their labour rights and protections.
- Partnership, coordination and coherence. Members should promote national, bilateral, regional and global dialogue on the labour market implications of large influxes of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, and the importance of access to livelihoods and decent work.
- Voluntary repatriation and reintegration of returnees. Countries of origin should reintegrate refugee returnees in their labour market. The ILO and its Members in a position to do so should provide assistance to countries of origin in areas of refugee returnees in creating employment and decent work for all, as well as livelihoods and self-reliance.
- Additional pathways for labour mobility. Members should promote labour mobility as one of the pathways for admission and for responsibility-sharing with countries hosting large numbers of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons and include such pathways for admission in their national policies.