The 2024 edition of the Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network (LMPN) took place on 18-19 November in Brussels, Belgium. Under the theme “Moving Talents: Scaling up Action in Key Sectors”, the in-person conference brought together 100 European practitioners in labour migration, skills recognition and employment.
For two days, the conference convened with the clear call to keep piloting, adapting and learning from one another in the area of regular migration and mobility, featuring input from various stakeholders and providing opportunities for collaborative brainstorming, whilst reflecting on recent policy changes and future direction under the new European Commission and EU Parliament.
The opening session of the Migration Partnership Facility-led conference featured an intervention by European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, highlighting personal aspirations, sobering statistics, and labour market needs.
As Johansson concludes her mandate, she shared an overview of the policy developments at European level under her portfolio, including the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the Talent Partnerships. Her intervention focused on the possibilities presented by legal migration channels, emphasising the crucial role of migration in addressing labour shortages arising from the shrinking of European workforce, and the consequent lack of generational renewal in certain professions.
All over Europe, labour market needs soar whilst the workforce shrinks by a staggering one million workers every year; for the first time in 2023, employment became the main reason for non-EU citizens obtaining first residence permits in half of EU member states. Aside from these statistics, the recent “Draghi report” described migration as essential to boost the continent’s competitiveness on a global scale.
To complement these figures, Johansson also reminded the audience of European labour practitioners how regular pathways can contribute to saving lives and realising personal goals by offering safe alternatives to the risks of irregular migration.
As the rest of event unfolded, the participants, hailing from national ministries, industry associations, think tanks and international organisations, continued discussions around labour policies and their practical applications. It was an opportunity for the network to share the progress of the mobility projects funded by the EU and implemented under the umbrella of the Migration Partnership Facility in areas of agriculture, transport, healthcare, and IT as well as skilling in green industries.
WAFIRA, a women-focused scheme to complement ongoing circular migration bilateral agreements in the agriculture sector between Spain and Morocco, was one of notable examples described during the conference.
Launched in early 2022, the EU Labour Mobility Practitioners' Network is open to practitioners from EU Member States and EU institutions at the operational level, relevant international organisations, foundations, NGOs, think tanks, academic institutions, trade unions, private sector networks/bodies (such as employers’ associations), diaspora organisations, and migrant associations. Interested parties can submit a request to join as a member of the 200-strong Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network.
Keynote by Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs.