Abstract
What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on Pakistan’s labour migration governance, recruitment practices and migrant workers? This rapid assessment by the International Labour Organization (ILO) seeks to find out. COVID-19 wreaked havoc worldwide in 2020, including on the world of work. While it’s full impact has yet to be seen, it is clear that the pandemic has curtailed employment prospects, upended businesses, and thrown workers’ lives and livelihoods into disarray. As millions of Pakistani migrants work abroad, this rapid assessment was commissioned by the ILO’s Global Action to Improve the Recruitment Framework of Labour Migration (REFRAME) project, funded by the European Union. Covering the period from March to November 2020, the assessment examines the pandemic’s impact on labour migration from Pakistan, primarily to Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Its findings are drawn from an in-depth survey, key informant interviews and discussions with migrant workers, regulatory bodies, relevant stakeholders and facilitators of migration processes. It is hoped that the assessment will assist the ILO and its partners in planning and delivering appropriate support to national stakeholders, as well as reorienting their support where necessary. Above all, the assessment provides evidence to support the development of mechanisms – in Pakistan and in destination countries – to address the COVID-19 crisis and the implementation of policy responses that protect the rights and well-being of migrant workers.