Labor Migration and Economic/Community Development

IOM Turkey seeks to encourage the establishment of a national coordination mechanism in line with the current EU accession process that would enable Turkey to harness all migration’s potential to accelerate growth and prosperity. Management of labor migration in Turkey has gradually become a defining issue of and on the national agenda.  IOM is working to promote national debate and create a platform for dialogue at inter-institutional levels to enhance the understanding of the complex relationship among migration, human security and community development, and to manage their effects on the Turkish socio-economic fabric. Within this framework IOM Turkey is implementing a three-year joint project with the UN entitled: “Growth with Decent Work for All: A Youth Employment Program in Antalya”. This project is funded by the Spanish Government under the Millennium Development Goal Achievement Fund with other partners including: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project’s overall objective is to formulate and implement locally based employment policies benefiting the most vulnerable groups in the labor market within the context of Turkey’s east to west migration. The joint project moreover aims to reduce youth unemployment among vulnerable young members of migrant families and increase the participation of young women in the labor force.

In parallel, IOM Turkey is participating in an operational research project aimed at assessing current and future labor migration trends. The joint project named “Independent Network of Labour Migration and Integration Experts” is being carried out in 27 EU Member States, as well as Croatia, Norway and Turkey. IOM Turkey is drafting a country report to delineate present and future labor migration trends though quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. The project will produce two policy reviews with a specific focus on: (1) the impact of migration on national employment; (2) the outcome of labor market integration policies: and (3) a thematic study on the impact of the current global economic downturn on migration trends.

To support the migration policies IOM Turkey funded a project named "Supporting the Capacities of Local Municipalities on Migration Management in Turkey".  This project was designed to enhance the capacities of Turkish municipalities and strengthen their ability to deal with humanitarian and social needs of migrants in line with the Turkish framework and international best practices through training cources, a training manual and meetings.