In today’s globalized economy, workers are increasingly looking for job opportunities beyond their home country in search of decent work and better livelihoods. In addition, millions of workers migrate internally in search of decent work. Public and private employment agencies, when appropriately regulated, play an important role in the efficient and equitable functioning of labour markets by matching available jobs with suitably qualified workers. However, concerns have been raised about the growing role of unscrupulous employment agencies, informal labour intermediaries and other operators acting outside the legal and regulatory framework that prey especially on low-skilled workers. In response to those challenges, the Fair Recruitment Initiative (FRI) was launched in 2014 as part of the ILO Director General’s call for a Fair Migration Agenda.

The Fair Recruitment Initiative's vision is to ensure that recruitment practices nationally and across borders are grounded in labour standards, are developed through social dialogue, and ensure gender equality. Specifically, they:

• are transparent and effectively regulated, monitored, and enforced;
• protect all workers’ rights, including fundamental principles and rights at work, and prevent human trafficking and forced labour;
• efficiently inform and respond to employment policies and labour market needs, including for recovery and resilience.

The 2021-2025 Fair Recruitment Initiative Strategy is grounded in four pillars. The fourth pillar aims to empower and protect workers, inter alia through an increased representation of migrant workers in trade unions, relevant information about the workers' rights and obligations in recruitment, and workers' access to compensation and other remedies through justice and company-union grievance mechanism and social dialogue.

For further information on the Fair Recruitment Initiative, visit the website of International Labour Organization.