Labour migration within and from the Colombo Process (CP) Member Countries is significant, growing and increasingly complex. An overwhelming majority leave on a temporary basis, and many are considered vulnerable since they move without documentation and/or take lowpaid jobs in less-skilled and largely unprotected sectors of the economy. CP Member Countries have recently taken concrete, pro-active steps to manage labour migration. In just the last five years, 8 of the 11 CP countries amended existing regulations or adopted new legislation concerning labour migration, 7 created new government structures dedicated to managing labour outflow and the welfare of overseas migrants, and 10 signed 59 bilateral agreements (BAs) and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with key destination countries. In addition, CP Member Countries have launched specific programmes and activities at different levels of government to disseminate essential information, regulate the recruitment process, provide welfare support at origin and destination, and maximize the benefits of labour migration.
URL : 20170612120208.pdf