Publication: Towards Better Labor Migration Systems in Northern Central America: Overview of Findings from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
Date
2023-08-01
ISSN
Published
2023-08-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
This note aims to close the knowledge
gap about the effectiveness and capacity of labor migration
sending systems in NCA countries. The report assesses
whether NCA countries have the fundamental elements of an
effective labor migration sending system, identifies the
missing elements, and offers recommendations for
strengthening the systems over time. Filling such a
knowledge gap is critical to inform policies that maximize
the benefits and minimize the costs of economic migration.
Programs and policies that help expand legal pathways for
regular migration will not only promote mutually beneficial
migration, but could be a step, albeit small, towards
dissuading individuals from pursuing risky migration
patterns. Indeed, evidence from Mexico indicates that
investing in legal labor pathways can reduce irregular
migration (Clemens and Gough, 2018). In this context, this
note summarizes the main findings from three institutional
diagnostics of the labor migration sending systems in NCA
countries, with a view to deepening the understanding of the
supply side of labor flows. To this end, and building on
previous World Bank experience globally, a diagnostic tool
was developed to identify what steps the NCA governments
have taken to recognize and respond to foreign demand for
workers. The tool examines if appropriate structures,
systems, processes, and resources exist to prepare and
deliver adequate labor supply arrangements in the context of
bilateral agreements (BLAs) or Temporary Work Agreements
(TWAs) with other countries. The diagnostic tool is
organized around four main pillars to regulate, facilitate,
fortify, and further access of labor migrants to
international labor markets.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2023. Towards Better Labor Migration Systems in Northern Central America: Overview of Findings from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. © Washington, DC: World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/40131 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”