Background

Labour mobility has increased over the years through labour mobility schemes and bilateral arrangements that provide employment and upskilling opportunities, remittances, and capital for re-integration initiatives and entrepreneurship. While the schemes are intended to improve livelihoods and standards of living for many Pacific Islands families, there are prevalent challenges that require a broader Forum intervention.

At their February 2020 meeting, Forum Trade Ministers in noting the outcomes of the 2019 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM), acknowledged the multiple facets of labour mobility, which offer opportunities within and beyond the region, and noted the need for a long-term and inclusive decision-making Forum mechanism on regional labour mobility issues. Ministers directed the Secretariat to undertake a comprehensive assessment of different labour mobility arrangements, including under regional and sub-regional trade agreements, and report back to the next FTMM. Ministers also endorsed labour mobility as a standing item of FTMM and Forum Trade Official Meeting.

Purpose

The Forum Economic Ministers (FEMM) in their meeting on August 12, 2020 recognized the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus disease since 2019 (COVID-19) and acknowledged the largely successful containment of the spread of COVID 19 throughout the Pacific. However, the strictly imposed border restrictions have had substantial downside flow-on economic impacts on the movement of people, trade and essential goods and services across the region. Labour mobility is key to economic recovery throughout the region through contributions from increased wages, remittances, experiences from working abroad and the skills that are brought back to home countries by returnees. Providing opportunities to work abroad beyond seasonal work in skilled and semi- skilled professions can increase investment in education and training, creating even greater skills benefit.

Forum Trade Ministers directed the Secretariat to prioritize the finalization of the assessment, including consulting with Members on the comprehensive assessment of regional labour mobility arrangements and present the final report and recommendations by officials for Ministerial consideration by end of 2021.

Scope of Work

The consultant will carry out the responsibilities and tasks as set out under the Terms of Reference (TOR) document.