Gender-Responsive Implementationof the Global Compact for Migrationin Europe

In 2018, the international community came together to establish the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM). The GCM sets out a “common understanding, shared responsibilities and unity of purpose regarding migration” in order to make “migration work for all.” This includes 23 objectives and 10 cross-cutting and interdependent principles, one of which concerns gender responsiveness. The implementation of the Compact occurs at the global, regional, national, and local level and is organized through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation and partnerships.

Labor emerges as a central policy area in Objective 2 (Minimize adverse drivers), Objective 5 (Pathways for regular migration), Objective 6 (Conditions that ensure decent work), Objective 7 (Reduce vulnerabilities), Objective 16 (Empower migrants to realize full inclusion), and Objective 18 (Invest in skills development).

For example, according to Objective 16, migrants are to be granted access to decent work for which they are qualified, as well as full participation in labor markets. Labor considerations are essential for understanding not only the drivers of migration, but also the economic status and inclusion of migrants, wherein gender dynamics play a central role.

Our GMI analysis shows that mention of gender dynamics in this policy area can be described as limited. While labor policies generally carry gendered implications, there is a near complete absence of any gender-indicative words (i.e. women, girls, LGBTQIA+, gender diverse, gender identity, and sexuality) in the examined VNRs.

In the few countries where gender dynamics are mentioned such as in Spain, discussions focused on ensuring non-discriminatory working conditions for immigrant workers, particularly women and minors of working age. Likewise in the VNR of Sweden, there
are references to gender considerations, compliance with the principle of equality, and initiatives like the Swedish-Somali Business Program (SSBP) aimed at helping women and young people find employment.

In terms of engagement with gender dynamics in the VNRs, namely the ways through which the needs and challenges of women, girls, LGBTQIA+, and gender diverse migrants are meaningfully considered in existing labor programs/policies/initiatives/approaches beyond their mere mention, gender responsiveness across all analyzed countries is moderate at best, limited at worst.

More specifically, Sweden, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Portugal and Serbia show very limited engagement with gender dynamics in the context of labor. Their VNRs merely highlight general policies on fair employment, recruitment, and workforce integration. However, these points appear to have no explicit focus on gender-related aspects in the labor market. For example, North Macedonia mentions two national legal frameworks that govern foreign employment, including the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Employment and Work of Foreigners. However, while these frameworks include provisions for quotas on the number of foreigners who may be employed in North Macedonia, they do not include any gender quotas.

Spain, on the other hand, shows a slightly moderate engagement with gender dynamics in labor policy through multiple initiatives specifically targeting gender equality and anti-discrimination such as labor inspectorate campaigns to ensure non-discriminatory working conditions against women, provision of complaint forms in multiple languages to enable the reporting of rights violations, and gender awareness campaigns. Spain’s gender considerations in the area of labor is also evident in the ratification of ILO C190 – Violence and Harassment Convention. Notably, most countries analyzed in this policy brief e.g North Macedonia, Portugal, Denmark, Moldova, Finland have yet to ratify and implement ILO C190

In a similar vein, Belgium’s engagement focuses on harmonizing data collection methods in the context of labor with an emphasis on genderspecific data; however, this engagement does not translate to any further gender-specific initiatives (GMI Indicator 1.3).

Our GMI analysis shows that commitment towards gender responsiveness via planned programs/policies/initiatives can be described as limited. Among the analyzed countries, the genderresponsive commitments that are mentioned, while limited, are referenced primarily in the context of national strategies.

Spain, again, demonstrates a slightly moderate commitment to gender dynamics in the labor market, with strategic plans and policies aimed at ensuring gender equality. For example, the Master Plan for Decent Work and the Strategic Plan for the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate (ITSS) 2021-2023 includes specific measures to address gender-based disparities in the labor market.

At the same time, several of the analyzed countries lack targeted initiatives that address the unique challenges facing migrant women and gender diverse migrants. Serbia’s VNR, for example, references two labor migration-oriented policies, namely the Economic Migration Strategy of the Republic of Serbia 2021 – 2027 and the Employment Strategy of the Republic of Serbia 2021–2026. While these policies seek to improve labor market access and opportunities for migrants, they target the entire working population without an explicit focus on gender.

Similarly, the Netherlands mentions compliance with EU Directive 2014/67/EU which, in part, has the objective to ensure fair treatment and prevent labor exploitation. Nonetheless, the Directive does not explicitly mandate any gender-specific measures in the labor context. As a result, although the Netherland’s VNR cites compliance in this regard, commitment to gender-specific action plans that tackle issues such as wage gaps, employment discrimination, or workplace harassment are not noted as such.