Labour Migration and Labour Market Information Systems

Topics: 
LABOR
Enforcement and awareness of labor legislation
Fight against discrimination
Working conditions
EMPLOYMENT
Labor market information systems and observatories
Labor migration
Labor inclusion of vulnerable groups
Event date: 
02/24/2009 to 02/25/2009
Place: 
Quebec City
Host Country: 
Canada
Objectives: 
  • To exchange best practices from across the hemisphere on the development of Labour Market Information systems.
  • To assess the impact of migration on sending and receiving countries in the context of the global economic crisis.
  • Gain a broader understanding of the dynamic between labour mobility, migration and labour markets by sharing perspectives among employer representatives, worker representatives, national governments, multilateral institutions and academics.
Organizers: 

This Workshop was part of the IACML Calendar of Activities for 2008-2009, and it was jointly organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development of Canada and the Organization of American States (OAS). It was funded by the Government of Canada, through the contribution it has provided to the RIAL.

Participants:

  • Officers from the Ministries of Labour of the 34 OAS Member States responsible for labour migration / labor market information issues. 
  • Representatives from COSATE and CEATAL. 
  • Representatives from ILO, IOM and other relevant international organizations, as well as experts in the field.
Presentations: 

Opening Session

QUEBEC - Assistant Deputy Minister Normand Pelletier, Policy and Research, Ministry of Labour of Quebec
CANADA - Debra Young, Director General, International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)
Organization of American States (OAS) - Francisco Pilotti, Director of the Department of Social Development and Employment, Organization of American States (OAS)

Panel 1 - The global economy and labour markets in the Americas

Introductory presentation by the Moderator Gloria Moreno-Fontes, Specialist of the International Migration Programme, International Labour Organization (ILO)
Perspectives of Ministries of Labor
MEXICO - Sandra Barojas, Director of Occupational Intermediation and Information, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Shanmattee Singh, Director of Research and Planning, Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development
ARGENTINA - Hector Palomino, Director of Labour Relations Studies, Secretariat for Technical Programming and Labour Studies, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security
Perspectives from social actors
CEATAL - Maryse Tremblay, Representative of CEATAL
COSATE - Karl Flecker, Representative of COSATE
Open dialogue among participants

Panel 2 - Labour market information in the Americas

Introductory presentation by the Moderator Geoff Bowlby, Director of the Labour Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
BRAZIL - Tatiana Tobias, Chief of International Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Employment
BARBADOS - Erika Watson, Senior Economist, Manpower Research and Statistical Unit, Ministry of Labour and Immigration
UNITED STATES - Dixie Sommers, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Open dialogue among participants
Organization of American States - Araceli Azuara, General Coordinator, Inter-American Program for Migrant Workers
Questions and Answers

Panel 3 - Labour Market Information in Canada: tools for analysis and forecasting

Introductory presentation by the Moderator Sarah Strapps, Policy Analyst, International Relations, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Statistics CANADA - Geoff Bowlby, Director of Labour Statistics Division
Human Resources and Skills Development CANADA - Gilles Bérubé, Director of Labour Market Research and Forecasting
Human Resources and Skills Development CANADA - Allison Dixon, Director, Labour Market Information
Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity of QUEBEC - Normand Roy, Director, Center for Employment and Technology Studies
Questions and Answers

Panel 4 - The challenges of managing migration and mobility

Introductory presentation by the Moderator Francisco Pilotti, Director of the Department of Social Development and Employment, Organization of American States
Organization of International Migrations - Juan Artola, Chief of Mission in Mexico and Gunther Mussig, Chief of Mission in Guatemala
Inter-American Dialogue - Manuel Orozco, Director of the Remittances and Development Program
Questions and Answers
Inter-American Conference of Social Security (CISS) - Gabriel Martinez, Executive Secretary
Organization of American States (OAS) - Sherry Stephenson, Head of Institutional Relations, Department of International Affairs
Open dialogue among participants

Closing session

Summary of discussions and lessons learned

Panel 1 – Gloria Moreno-Fontes, Specialist of the International Migration Programme, International Labour Organization (ILO)
Panel 2 - Sarah Strapps, Policy Analyst, International Relations, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Panel 3 - Sarah Strapps, Policy Analyst, International Relations, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Panel 4 - Francisco Pilotti, Director of the Department of Social Development and Employment, Organization of American States
Closing Remarks
Remarks by Francisco Pilotti, Director of the Department of Social Development and Employment, Organization of American States (OAS)
Remarks by Debra Young, Director General, International and Intergovernmental Labour Affairs, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)