The 2024 edition of Labour Migration Practitioners’ Network (LMPN) In-person conference brought 100 European practitioners in labour migration, skills recognition and employment to Brussels, Belgium for a two-day conference under the theme of “Moving Talents: Scaling up Action in Key Sectors”. After two days of lively discussions and in anticipation of the conference report, here are six take-aways from the conference.

EU LMPN In-Person Conference

19-20 November 2024

Moving Talents: Scaling up Action in Key Sectors

The EU Labour Mobility Practitioner’s Network hosted its third in-person conference in Brussels on 19-20 November 2023. The MPF Labour Mobility Practitioners’ Network gathers over 220 members from EU and national authorities, the private sector, International Organisations, NGOs and think tanks/academia with extensive experience researching, designing, and implementing labour mobility initiatives. The network has been operational since 2022 and organises events in different formats on topics such as green skills mobility, talent attraction and retention, capacity building in migrants' countries of origin, and ethical recruitment. The event aimed to contribute to the effective design and implementation of the Talent Partnership policy framework by offering an opportunity for LMPN members and relevant stakeholders to come together, exchange, learn and ultimately improve the implementation of labour migration initiatives to the EU around the theme “Moving talents: Scaling up action in key sectors”. 

Documents

• Agenda
• Concept note
• Presentations
• Report

Photo Gallery

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On 21-22 November in Brussels, the Labour Mobility Practitioner’s Network (EU LMPN) organised its second In-person Conference in Brussels to discuss “Labour Mobility and Skills Shortages: Connecting the Dots”.

On January 25th, the MPF held the LMPN’s Kick-off Meeting. This very first meeting successfully gathered 89 labour mobility practitioners from international organisations, EU institutions, national ministries, recruitment agencies, private sector, think tanks, development agencies, and non-governmental organisations.

Background

Engaging the private sector is crucial for labour mobility projects. Companies not only create demand for labour mobility by providing employment and training opportunities, but also financially contribute to mobility schemes by means of wages or investment in the country of origin. At the same time, numerous policy briefs and research highlight the difficulty of engaging companies in such schemes. When asked how to engage them, many often reiterate the need to involve them from the very outset of a project. This sounds good in theory but the practice remains elusive – what does it actually mean to involve them and how?

To understand this “how”, it is important to go back to the “why”: why do practitioners struggle to engage the private sector? What are the day-to-day challenges that practitioners face to on-board companies? For the companies, what are the different reasons not to join the scheme? How can these challenges be addressed? What kinds of solutions have been used and tested by practitioners?

Under the LMPN’s theme of Stakeholder Engagement in mobility schemes, the Network will open its first Thematic Meeting by focusing on the Private Sector. In order to understand how to better engage this key stakeholder, the meeting will uncover the actual challenges that are in place when engaging the companies. This will serve as a starting point to identify what the private sector seeks through mobility schemes, which will then lead to successful solutions and strategies that have been used and tested to effectively involve companies in schemes. This meeting will focus on a practical and granular level on the experience of labour mobility practitioners and further explore the potential that the labour mobility practitioners’ community has to offer.

Presenting Members:

• Raffaella Greco Tonegutti, Lead expert – Migration and Development, Enabel

• Mante Makauskaite, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Afriko

• Heinz Rittmann, Deputy CEO, Building Association of North Rhine-Westphalia (BAUVERBÄNDE NRW)

• Gayatri Kanth, Project Manager, International Organisation of Employers

• Marius Tollenaere, Partner, Fragomen

Documents

• Presentations (Digital Explorers, PALIM)
• Recording
• Key Discussion Points

Launched in early 2022, the EU LMPN 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. Partner countries may be invited to join sessions on an ad-hoc basis depending on the topic but are not eligible for membership.

Registered members have access to:

• An address book
• A repository of member profiles to facilitate networking
• A comprehensive library that includes policy briefs and research products
• A community board, where members can start focused discussions on specific issues, post questions, and even develop joint initiatives.