All publications for country
Policy Brief
Employer survey of internal labour market mobility: promoting a more flexible workforce in Kuwait
Compared with its neighbours, the sponsorship system in Kuwait is one of the most rigid in the Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) region. This policy brief on internal labour market mobility is based on an exploratory survey of 198 companies that responded to the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)-ILO survey between December 2022 to March 2023, and a meeting organized by KCCI, ILO and the International Organization for Employers (IOE) on 7 March 2023. The results demonstrate an interest among the private sector for simpler and less onerous rules on migrant workers being able to change employers in Kuwait, such as the mobility reforms introduced in neighbouring GCC countries. The policy brief makes a number of recommendations regarding policy reforms that could ensure a more dynamic labour market in Kuwait, and stronger compliance with international labour standards.
Kuwait: Regulatory framework governing migrant workers
The country briefs map the key legal provisions dealing with migrant workers in eight Arab countries, summarizing the legal rules about who pays for recruitment, whether passport confiscation is prohibited by law, minimum working conditions including wages, working hours and rest periods, how to lodge grievances, and brief details of each country’s sponsorship regime.
Social protection for migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A regional mapping of provisions on paper and in practice
Access to social protection for Nepalese migrant workers in countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).
Access to social protection for Nepalese migrant workers in countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC).
Social protection coverage for national and migrant workers in the formal private sector in the GCC countries.
The infographic charts the systems of social protection available for workers in the private sector in each country of the GCC.
Review of National Social Protection Legislation and Legal Frameworks for Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries
Extending social protection to migrant workers in the Gulf Countries
Reforming end-of-service indemnity for migrant workers in Member States of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)
Policy options for the progressive realization of international social security standards
Summary of lessons Learned, Work in Freedom Programme
This document summarises the lessons learned (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by the Work in Freedom Programme, a ten-year bi-regional programme (2013-2023) that aimed to reduce vulnerability to human trafficking and forced labour among women workers in occupations such as domestic work and garment manufacturing.
Social Protection
ONE PAGER - Administrative barriers, capacity constraints and solutions for the inclusion of agricultural workers in social insurance schemes in the Middle East and North Africa
Social Protection
Administrative barriers, capacity constraints and solutions for the inclusion of agricultural workers in social insurance schemes in the Middle East and North Africa
Social Protection
ONE PAGER - Financing social insurance schemes for agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa
Social Protection
Financing social insurance schemes for agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa
Social Protection
Methodological note for the project ‘Expanding social insurance for agricultural workers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries: identifying key constraints and discussing policy options’
Social Protection
The role of social insurance schemes in addressing the risks faced by agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa
Social Protection
ONE PAGER - The role of social insurance schemes in addressing the risks faced by agricultural workers in the Middle East and North Africa
Skills needs in Kuwait following the Covid-19 pandemic
Based on desk research and a survey of 240 firms across multiple sectors in Kuwait, carried out from October to December 2021, the report explores how the skills needs of companies in Kuwait changed following the pandemic. Providing a forward-looking assessment of the reskilling and upskilling requirements of the country, the report focuses on how the skills mix of national and foreign workers is likely to change in response to evolving local conditions and global trends.
Publication
Understanding patterns of structural discrimination of migrant and other workers in some countries of South and West Asia
This background paper reviews the literature that sheds light on the structural patterns of discrimination against migrant workers in some countries of South and West Asia. It also articulates recommendations that would help officials in UN agencies, international organizations, constituents and other civil society individuals and groups, while referring to the existing evidence of structural discrimination to support the application of international labour standards.
World Social Protection Report 2020–22: Regional companion report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region
This regional companion report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is intended to complement the ILO’s World Social Protection Report 2021–22. Social Protection at the Crossroads – in Pursuit of a Better Future. The regional companion report first gives a global perspective that is taken from the main report and outlines recent developments in social protection systems worldwide. It then highlights key developments, challenges and priorities for social protection in the MENA region.
Lessons Learned Part 2: Recruitment
This document describes the lessons learned by the Work in Freedom programme on recruitment of migrant workers. This compilation was preceded by an earlier edition of Lessons Learned in October 2017, followed by another one in February 2019. This new edition focuses particularly on recruitment of migrant workers. It lists and describes the nature of both conventional and non-conventional interventions and reviews some of the assumptions behind the rationale for these interventions.