Labour market reintegration for returned migrant workers

 

Labour migration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, is a driving force of the economy for both source and destination countries. With approximately 10 million international migrants in the region, of which 7.1 million are intra-ASEAN migrants, the remittance and skills from migrant labour are central to knowledge and capital exchange between ASEAN countries. The ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, adopted in 2017, is the primary instrument to guide labour migration policies in the region.

In 2021, Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs collaborated with the Asia Foundation to develop guidelines for effective return and reintegration of migrant workers. This project will contribute evidence and strategies to engage public-private cooperation in migration policymaking, with a focus on labour market reintegration. The research will examine existing opportunities and develop recommendations to promote knowledge spillover and a dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem to support return migrants in the ASEAN region.

This project is supported under IDRC’s 2024-25 Catalytic Funds - Strategic Initiatives efforts. The fund explores strategic engagement with the ASEAN Secretariat and with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Indonesia. With this project, IDRC will position research outputs with ASEAN-level policymaking institutions, which can enhance policy engagement in the region.