Executive Summary - Global study on recruitment fees and related costs: Second edition

This executive summary synthesizes the key finding of the second edition of the Global Study. It presents the trends concerning recruitment fees and related costs for countries, businesses, trade unions, and other recruitment stakeholders, as well as key promising practices and considerations for the future.

The second edition of the Global Study on recruitment fees and related costs is a review of 110 countries across all five regions to document current regulatory approaches and experience on the recruitment fees and related cost. This global study further reviews international, regional, and bilateral frameworks on recruitment and labour migration and considers business-led, trade union, and multi-stakeholder initiatives regarding recruitment fees and related costs. It documents the progress made, challenges encountered, and regulatory gaps that need to be addressed in the five years since the adoption of the ILO Definition of recruitment fees and related costs. 

This executive summary synthesizes the key finding of the second edition of the Global Study. It presents in a concise and easily digestible manner the regional trends concerning recruitment fees and related cost, noting important similarities in relation to prohibition or regulation of recruitment fees and costs, and sanctions regimes. It also presents the main findings regarding business-led, trade union and multistakeholder initiatives concerning recruitment fees and related costs, while noting promising practices and considerations for the future. 

By examining the global landscape of recruitment practices, the study offers valuable insights into national context-specific regulatory conditions and practical realities that workers, labour recruiters, enterprises, and employers face regarding recruitment fees and costs. It specifically highlights the engagement of the ILO supervisory bodies with the topic of recruitment fees and related costs, showing the multi-faceted and cross-cutting nature of the issue.

Global study on recruitment fees and related costs: Second Edition

Fair recruitment Roadmap: A guide for national action

This roadmap is a practical step-by-step guide to assist national policymakers and recruitment stakeholders, including governments and social partners, in effectively implementing fair recruitment at the national level.