Vientiane – On 9 August 2021, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Skills Development and Employment Department (SDED), Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW) and the Lao-Korea Skills Development Institute, launched the skills development training for returnee migrant workers affected by the COVID-19.

The two-week skills development trainings on industrial sewing are being conducted in collaboration with five skills development institutes in Vientiane Capital, Savannakhet province and Champasak province. The training is aimed at 200 unemployed people, including returnee migrant workers and their family members, in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. IOM, MoLSW, and representatives from the business community attended the opening ceremony. It was held at the Lao-Korea Skills Development Institute, one of the five institutes that offered the course.

During the opening session, Dr. Bounma Sitthisom, Director of the Lao-Korea Skills Development Institute, expressed that the skills development training was a “remarkable event to enhance job opportunities and contribute to national economic recovery. Under the skills development training activity, all relevant stakeholders including MoLSW, IOM, skills development centers and enterprises will ensure that returnee migrants and unemployed people enhance their skills and have access to the labour market.”

The skills development training is being implemented as one of the core activities under IOM’s regional programme, Poverty Reduction through Safe Migration, Skills Development and Enhanced Job Placement (PROMISE), with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Through the PROMISE programme, IOM realizes its commitment to support labour and migration in Lao PDR, by defining clear pathways and implementing initiatives that promote better employment opportunities; better working conditions; safe migration; and skills development for migrants, especially women. Through this collaboration with SDED, MoLSW, and IOM will contribute to one of the objectives of the MoLSW for its five-year development plan (2021-2025) which aims to promote skill development for workers at all levels for 10,000 people.

Ms. Shareen Tuladhar, Chief of Mission of IOM Lao PDR, remarked on IOM’s “interest and capacity to support MoLSW’s strategic vision on labour and migration management” and that “in the ongoing challenging situation of COVID-19, IOM and the Ministry continues to work side by side on promoting safe and regular migration in the provinces with high outbound migration and a large volume of returnee migrants”.

The participants will be prepared to take up jobs in the garment and textile sectors, while also gaining soft skills and information about safe migration. This aligns with the findings from an IOM snap survey conducted in 2020 with over 300 returnee migrant workers, 36% of whom indicated they were opened to undertaking skills development training for jobs in Lao PDR. At the end of the training, the participants will be provided with skills training certificates. They will also receive support from SDED to access job opportunities with employers and businesses based in Lao PDR, thereby ensuring the retention of trained, skilled Lao workers in the country.

Furthermore, as workers across the country continue to face greater job insecurity in the wake of the COVID-19, the Lao Government has emphasized the importance of enhancing workers’ employability such as through technical and vocational training, for job-readiness to enable post-pandemic recovery. The skills training activity is therefore part of IOM’s commitment to support the Government for the promotion of employability for migrant workers, including returning migrants.

As next steps, IOM will continue to work closely with MoLSW on broader areas that support workers, such as through upcoming consultation workshop on how migrants returning to Lao can be better supported for assessment and recognition of their prior skills and learnings, and to build the capacity of workers to improve their employment prospect. IOM will also continue to work with SDED-MoLSW to support migrants in quarantine centres under PROMISE and other projects.

Ms. Tuladhar also reiterated that IOM is following through its commitment to “[mobilise] resources from both existing and potential projects. IOM remains a trusted partner for MoLSW on making migration, fairer, safer and an inclusive society for all migrants.”