Labour Market Assessment with a Focus on Migrant Workers from the IGAD Region

The ILO in close collaboration with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariat has produced this report titled Labour Market Assessment with a Focus on Migrant Workers from the IGAD Region as part of the project on Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region: Improving Opportunities for Regular Labour Mobility financed by the European Union. The report forms part of the knowledge-generation component of the project, and provides an evidence base for improving labour migration and mobility governance in the IGAD region.

The report is unique in its scope and focus, and different from the usual labour market assessments. In terms of scope, the report presents and analyses IGAD as one economic community with an integrated labour market. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the labour migration and labour market dynamics in the region based on individual country labour market analyses conducted in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, with a focus on migration- prone areas, particularly places of origin, transit and destination. The report is also unique due to its particular focus on the participation of migrant workers in the labour market, drawing on quantitative interviews and focus group discussions with migrant workers as well as key informant interviews with migrant workers, government officials, employers’ organisations, workers’ organisations, international organisations, non-government organisations and other relevant stakeholders.

The report examines labour force characteristics, current and future demand for skills, and job creation patterns, and it identifies sectors that have high potential for job creation for nationals and migrants in an integrated regional labour market. The report also looks at labour market efficiency and functionality by reviewing institutional arrangements and processes, including policies, legislation, labour market information systems and employment services, among other things. The report then identifies key challenges and opportunities related to improving labour market and labour migration governance, and to supporting employment and job promotion for nationals and migrants in the IGAD region. At the end, the report proposes a number of key strategic recommendations to improve migrants’ access to the labour market and labour migration governance in the region. We advise you to consult, in addition to this report, the country level reports, which shed light on economic, labour, employment and migration dynamics, as well as the participation of migrant workers in the national labour markets of each country.