International Organization for Migration (IOM)

The study addressed four main research questions:
• How do employers acquire and perceive information on the legal procedures
to recruit prospective migrants from third-countries and on the availability
of migration candidates matching their labour needs? How do they use this
information in their recruitment practices?
• What are the channels used by prospective migrants (third-country nationals)
to obtain information on job vacancies abroad and on the legal requirements
to migrate in response to those vacancies? To what extent do they use those
channels to get their jobs?
• What are the specific information-related barriers in the recruitment of thirdcountry
nationals already residing in the EU and what are the measures
implemented to overcome those barriers?
• What policy measures could be implemented to improve access to labour
market information for employers and migrants?
To investigate these issues, IOM LINET conducted seven country case studies
intended to capture the various strategies and lessons learnt in Canada, Germany,
Italy, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and the United States of America. Relevant country-specific information was also
drawn from selected IOM LINET studies on Migration, Employment and Labour
Market Integration Policies5 . In addition, the author carried out a desk review of
other available studies and extracted relevant data from programmes implemented by
IOM field missions, notably pre-departure training and labour market information
programmes run by IOM in migrants’ countries of origin.
This publication presents the main findings of the study on Improving Access to Labour
Market Information for Migrants and Employers. It compiles the country case studies
and includes additional input from the discussion held during the IOM LINET
conference.
Conceptual framework of the study
The study on access to labour market information for migrants and employers
focused separately on the demand side (that is, the employers) and the supply side
(that is, the migrants) of the employment match. Although migrants and employers
may both use the same channels for labour matching – as few of them exclusively
target employers or migrants – the separate focus allowed for the identification of
specific information patterns according to the size of the enterprise, the level of
5 The IOM LINET studies on Migration, Employment and Labour Market Integration Policies
analyse data on migration flows, labour market indicators and condition in the 30 LINET
research countries arising as a result of existing policies, with the aim of investigating the
various factors that determine the impact of migration on employment (see IOM 2010a; 2010b;
2013a).
eXecutIve summAry – OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
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