Colombia - IOM Colombia and the Colombian National Training Service (SENA) last week (4-5 May) held an event which brought together international and national experts, business leaders, public servants; and youth apprentices as well as SENA instructors to discuss labour migration.

The event was part of national efforts to strengthen public policy on labour migration through awareness raising and sharing of experiences, good practices and lessons learned at national and international level.

​The event was attended by the UN Migration Agency (IOM)’s labour migration specialists Ricardo Cordero and Anna Platonova, as well as experts from International Labour Organization (ILO), Ibero-American Social Security Organization (OISS) and Colombian institutions including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs; Labour, Commerce, Industry and Tourism; Migracion Colombia (National Migration Authority), and the SENA’s Public Employment Agency, among others.

Participants discussed human rights of labour migrants, labour migration within Colombia, and migration of skilled migrants. In addition, themes surrounding Colombia’s economic situation with regards to the peace accords, the role of the private sector, including its engagement in the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) and mechanisms to prevent human trafficking, as well as achievements and challengers on labour migration at a regional level, were also discussed.

With regards to the opportunities of international labour migration in the private sector, Platonova stated that “a challenge to the private sector globally is the shortage of highly qualified individuals.” As a result, she added, “It is vitally important that those who decide to migrate have the professional backgrounds necessary to fill the relevant positions in foreign countries.”

In the case of Colombia, for decades there has been a trend of migration to regional countries and to the United States, Canada and Spain, due primarily to the armed conflict.  This has presented an almost permanent labour flow in the region for these countries. 

Speaking about labour opportunities abroad for Colombians, Alejandro Guidi, IOM Colombia Chief of Mission said, “It is important to be as informed as possible about a particular opportunity, be aware of the full contractual obligations that the company is offering, visit the country’s consulate or Embassy and find out if the company that is offering the position really exists, and seek help if you do not know the language.”

Guidi added, “Globalization, demographic changes, conflict, income inequalities, and climate change each increasingly drive more workers and their families across borders in search of better jobs and security.” 

As part of the Colombian Government’s efforts to develop strategies related to cross-border labour mobility and to increase a national and international information exchange, IOM Colombia has been working hand in hand with SENA since 2015 to expand employment opportunities especially for the country’s vulnerable populations to positively impact productivity, social development, and peace building.

According to Jaime Vence, National SENA Employment Coordinator, from 2006 to this year, SENA preselected and placed approximately 3,800 people to work in gainful employment in Spain, Portugal, Canada and Panama.

Traditionally, Colombia is a country of more emigration (out-flow) with 4.7 million emigrants, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Globally, there are 244 million migrants, of which 150.3 million are labour migrants, according to ILO. 

SENA is the Government Agency under the Colombian Ministry of Labour that provides vocational and technical training programs to millions of Colombians to further the economic and social development of the country.

For further information, please contact Karen Mora at IOM Colombia, Tel. + (57) 1 639 7777, Email: kmora@iom.int