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Primary GCM Objectives

GCM Guiding Principles*

*All practices are to uphold the ten guiding principles of the GCM. This practice particularly exemplifies these listed principles.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dates

2018 - 2021

Type of practice

Project/Programme

Geographic scope

Summary

The pilot intervention started with an external on- site audit of a sub-contractor of a large construction company in Qatar and a private recruitment agency in Bangladesh. Assessing compliance against ILO’s General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment, the audit mapped out the entire recruitment process; identified gaps in existing systems, policies, and procedures; and assessed the organizations’ capacity to comply with fair recruitment. Based on the results of the assessment, the Ministry of Labour (MoL) in Qatar and ILO provided tailored training and tools to expand the capacity of the management and staff of the sub-contractor and the private recruitment agency to comply with fair recruitment. The service agreement between the sub-contractor and the private recruitment agency was amended. Procedures and tools were developed to establish an effective grievance and workers’ communication system during the recruitment process. The pilot also worked with the sub-contractor and the private recruitment agency to build on a comprehensive pre-departure programme for workers going into the Qatari construction sector. An independent impact assessment has been conducted together with Tufts University and Associates for Community and Population Research to measure the socio-economic impact of the pilot.

Organizations

Main Implementing Organization(s)

Government of Qatar

International Labour Organization (ILO)

Detailed Information

Ministry of Labour of the State of Qatar, ILO Project Office for Qatar

Partner/Donor Organizations

QDVC - a shareholding company between Qatari Diar and VINCI Construction Grands Projects

Structural Technical Services and Contracting - a Qatari company providing recruitment and placements services

Bonanza Overseas - a private recruitment agency in Bangladesh

Benefit and Impact

The final report of the impact assessment indicates that the workers who were recruited after the pilot intervention reported paying no or less recruitment fees compared to workers who were recruited before the intervention (i.e. the average cost of migration dropped by 92% after the pilot engagement in comparison to the average costs before the sub-contractor adopted fair recruitment practices). In addition, there were positive outcomes in terms of workers’ concerns regarding payment of debt, their control over the decision to migrate, and to the likelihood of learning about actual pay and hours before making the decision to migrate. More specifically, around 93% of workers interviewed after the pilot reported not having any debt. Furthermore, the workers recruited after the pilot intervention have a better understanding of their pay and report less tolerance for abuse from the employer or the clients of the employer where the workers are placed for work.

Key Lessons

A strong commitment from all actors in the supply chain was very important for the implementation of this pilot. To instigate major policy and procedural changes in recruitment of the temporary placement agency (STS) and the private recruitment agency (Bonanza), it was important to have leverage from the main contractor (QDVC). In addition, periodic in-person discussions and off-line coaching helped to create transparency amongst the stakeholders.

The main challenge during the implementation was the presence of intermediaries, which could potentially lead to the risk of unfair recruitment, including workers being charged of recruitment fees and related costs. To address potential challenges, the private recruitment agency applied a “direct recruitment” model at each stage of the process, developed monitoring mechanisms at all stages of recruitment process and established direct communication channels and grievance mechanisms with workers.

Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)

The pilot has informed the hospitality guidance tool that the MoL-ILO hospitality working group (consisting of over 40 hotels operating in Qatar) developed. It includes specific actions that hotels can undertake to carry out effective due diligence of their recruitment practices. The hospitality guidance tool is now being adapted for use in other sectors in Qatar.

Currently, the ILO Project Office for Qatar and the MoL is planning an engagement with companies from different sectors, through the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to share lessons and concrete tools from this pilot.
The pilot showed the implementing fair recruitment is possible with commitment and transparency amongst all actors involved. The concrete tools developed through the pilot are easy to use and adapt, to address coercive and deceptive recruitment practices. It demonstrated that companies can achieve fair recruitment in a relatively short time span. It took just a few months to reach a massive drop in the average recruitment fees and related costs paid by workers, as well as deceptive practices; to deeply reform company policies and practices; and to achieve fair recruitment.

The pilot highlighted the benefits to workers, while demonstrating that companies can reduce the risks of unfair recruitment while facilitating better selection of workers. While it focused on recruitment of workers in Bangladesh for the Qatar construction industry, the pilot can serve as a case study for similar initiatives in other countries and other sectors.

Innovation

The pilot focused on incorporating workers’ voices in the recruitment process. Elected workers’ representatives of the temporary placement agency played a vital role in delivering pre-departure orientations for workers in Bangladesh prior to their departure for Qatar. This engagement enabled workers to speak directly with those who are working in Qatar about the working and living conditions. In addition, after the workers were recruited, the elected workers’ representatives acted as focal points to facilitate effective access to the temporary placement agency’s grievance process including for grievances related to recruitment.

Additional Resources

Piloting fair recruitment from Bangladesh to Qatar in the construction sector - ILO brief

Fair Recruitment Matters for Business - Lessons from a pilot study in Qatar's construction sector

Date submitted:

08 February 2022

Disclaimer: The content of this practice reflects the views of the implementers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations, the United Nations Network on Migration, and its members.