The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crises it has provoked have acted as a tsunami in the world of work and have upended the labour migration landscape. These developments have not only created new challenges, they have highlighted longstanding policy and governance gaps; exacerbated the skills shortages that persist in every region of the world; and intensified human rights vulnerabilities. They call for urgent attention. The current situation also provides an opportunity to review labour migration processes to adapt to new realities.
This introduction module aims to provide an overview to employers on the African continent on labour migration governance structures at both global and continental levels. It will present key data on inter and intra-African labour migration, and provide guidance to effectively engage with national authorities, to contribute to global policy debates on migration, and to ultimately have impact on decision making processes.
Employers are best placed to raise the economic benefits of migration, given their reliance on skills (domestic or foreign), and can play a key role in promoting balanced policies that can well serve governments, workers and employers alike, while preserving and strengthening the benefits of well-managed migration systems. As policymakers have to take various considerations (humanitarian, economic, social) into account to craft balanced migration policies, businesses can provide expert advice on labour market (skills shortages and needs) and collaborate with governments towards legal frameworks that look at migration policies through an economic lens and not only through a humanitarian perspective, fostering thereby a labour migration governance that benefits all.
