Hosted by IOE- International Organisation of Employers
Recruitment is often the first entry point in the labour migration process. Therefore, companies recruiting abroad, as well as recruitment agencies supporting their clients to find the right talent, should ensure transparency in their labour supply chain and ensure that all recruitment activities are performed in accordance with ethical recruitment principles and local legislation. In this way, recruitment agencies and companies should be better able to mitigate the potential risks of unforeseen links to forced labour, child labour, human trafficking and other human/labour rights violations.
There is a clear business case for responsible agencies and companies to uphold fair recruitment practices, where the safety and dignity of the workers are at the centre of the recruitment process. Firstly, non-compliance risks involve huge administrative and legal costs, as well as reputational damage that can result in business-destroying impacts. Ethical, fair and compliant recruitment also brings market incentives and advantages. It can also ensure that vacancies are filled by candidates chosen through a competency-based or merit-based practice. Workers recruited in an ethical and transparent way with fair wages and safe working conditions are clearly more engaged and therefore productive.
It is important to recognize and share best practices in order to improve recruitment practices and reduce human and labour rights abuses. For helpful information on best practices, see the following presentations:
The Business Case
The Business Case for Responsible Recruitment
Strengthening Public-Private Dialogue in the GCM
Recruitment Practices