In Belarus, both incoming and outgoing labour migration play a significant role in the socio-economic development. Since 2009, the number of labour immigrants annually exceeds the number of Belarusians going to work abroad.

While migrants coming to work in the country are traditionally viewed as a valuable addition to the national labour market, ensuring a balance between the supply and demand, labour emigration is often seen as a risk.

However, if well-managed, labour migration can contribute to development through migrant remittances, an opportunity to develop entrepreneurship, contribute to the financial stability of households, and the national economy.

In 2021, remittances accounted to 1.29 per cent of the GDP of Belarus but the potential is much higher. The importance of remittances for development has been acknowledged in the UN Sustainable Development, amongst others by setting the goal to reduce the cost of remittance transfers.

To support Belarus’ attempts to use labor migration for development, since 2021 IOM Belarus has been implementing the country’s first project on labor migration – “Maximizing the impact of migration and labour mobility in the sustainable development of Belarus” - funded by the IOM Development Fund (IDF).

The project is inspired by the idea that if properly managed, labour migration would not only generate gains for the Belarus’ economy, but also serve as a safeguard of the human rights of migrant workers who are at a higher high risk of human trafficking and forced labour as compared to local populations.

To drive maximum benefits from labour migration, key national partners – migration and labour authorities of Belarus at the regional and national levels – need knowledge and practical skills in effective labour migration management with a focus on remittances and labour migrants’ protection.

On the back of the assessment on labour migration and remittances and online course on labour migration launched by IOM Belarus earlier this year, IOM Belarus, supported by IOM Regional Office in Vienna, has delivered six  training sessions on  effective labour migration management with a focus on remittances and labour migrants’ rights protection” in all six regions of Belarus.

“During the discussions and group work, we saw how relevant the topic of labour migration in the Belarusian context is and how important it was to create a space for participants from different cities and departments to exchange experiences”, commented one of the trainers, Regional Labor Mobility and Human Development Assistant Maria Bessermann.

Questionnaires filled in by the participants before and after the event show that participants have increased their knowledge of labor migration, remittances and protection of migrants by 69 per cent.

It is expected that the enhanced knowledge of specialists across the country will ensure a human rights-based approach to migrants in every city and region of Belarus, which will further strengthen the well-being of migrants, while leveraging the potential of migration for the country’s sustainable development.

For more information please contact Hanna Kalichava in IOM Minsk at hkalichava@iom.int