Page 413 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 4

CPS2476 Tite Habiyakare et al.
Measuring recruitment costs of migrant
workers through household surveys: Results
of a pilot
test from Lao PDR Labour Force Survey 2017
Tite Habiyakare , Kuangjie Zhong
2
1
1 International Labour Organization (ILO), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok,
Thailand
2 Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), Beijing, China

Abstract
Lao PDR implemented its 2nd national labour force survey (LFS) in September
2017. The survey included a module testing the measurement of international
labour migration, return migrants, and absentees, as well as recruitment costs
of migrant workers. The module was meant to contribute to methodological
work for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator 10.7.1 on
“Recruitment cost borne by employee as a proportion of monthly income
earned in country of destination”. The indicator is currently considered as Tier
II in the SDG Global Indicator Framework, with a new measurement
methodology not yet broadly implemented by countries. The pilot process in
Lao PDR LFS 2017 was done before the methodological work on this indicator
was completed. Results of this pilot process are presented in this paper. The
main data used in this analysis are those on return migrant workers: there were
52,600 return migrant workers in Lao PDR in 2017, representing only 0.7 per
cent of the total population, and their average recruitment costs were
estimated at USD141, i.e. one third of the monthly salary during the last job
abroad.

Keywords
International migration; return migrant; employment; earnings; country of
origin

1. Introduction
Migration has seen an increased role in the SDGs unlike the previous
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including a dedicated Target 10.7 on
safe migration (UN, 2015). For the monitoring of this Target two indicators
have been adopted, and one of these, i.e. SDG indicator 10.7.1, is on the costs
that migrant workers have to pay to get a job abroad. Migration is prominent
into the SDGs in three ways: (i) with a migration-specific target, i.e. SDG Target
10.7 (Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of
people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed
migration policies); (ii) as part of at least some other 5 Targets (such as Target
5.2- trafficking of women and girls, Target 8.7- forced labour and human

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