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South East Asia regional programme for labour migration in the fishing sector - Final evaluation

eval_number:

3298

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/3298

location:

country:

Asia and the Pacific - regional

region:

Asia and the Pacific

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eval_title:

South East Asia regional programme for labour migration in the fishing sector - Final evaluation

recommendations:

date:

2025-06-27 00:00:00.0

themes:

theme:

Conditions of work & equality

category:

Migration

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action_plan:

During the S2SR programme, extensive end-to-end training was delivered to migrant workers throughout the migration process. The programme provided 9,767 migrant workers (37% women) with pre-departure orientation seminars in Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar to equip them with critical knowledge and information on safe migration, labour rights, occupational safety and health, access to justice and other topics prior to going abroad. In Lao PDR and the Philippines, the S2SR programme supported the development of the respective national curricula for pre-departure training of migrant fishers and seafood processing workers. The pre-departure training facilitator’s manual was rolled out for use by the 35 licensed private employment agencies as a mandatory requirement for deploying Lao migrant workers into the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors. In the Philippines, it is expected that the Migrant Fisher Information Package will be endorsed by the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for adoption as a fisher-specific pre-departure and pre-employment orientation seminar mandated by the government. In Thailand, language remains a significant barrier to accessing essential services, understanding their rights, and integrating into the communities where they live and work. Additionally, limited Thai language skills can limit migrant workers from advancing their careers within the industry, as they may miss out on training opportunities, promotions, or roles with greater responsibility that require basic language proficiency. Recognizing this need, the S2SR programme partnered with the Labour Rights Foundation to offer foundational Thai language courses to migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. Upon return, extensive training, referral and support services have been provided to enable sustainable reintegration into countries of origin. The S2SR programme delivered training and assistance services to 19,138 migrant workers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR and Viet Nam to help them obtain jobs, start new enterprises and respond to their other service needs after returning home. During the new phase of the S2SR programme, this training support will be continued at all stages of the migration process, as well implementation of additional training activities by IOM to support return and reintegration of trafficking survivors and by ILO on just transition.

management_response:

Partially Completed

progress:

Partially achieved

admin_units:

RO-Asia and the Pacific

title:

Recommendation 6. Enhance Training, Skills Diversification, and Language Support for Migrant Fishers and Workers Migrant fishers often enter the industry with limited training, minimal career mobility, and face communication barriers, which makes them more vulnerable to deception and exploitation. These factors also contribute to limiting their long-term employment prospects. Given the high-risk nature of fishing, there is a need for a comprehensive training that focuses on safety, skill development, and language proficiency to better equip migrant fishers and workers in the seafood processing sector for employment abroad and for reintegration into the local economy. Training should be developed in collaboration with relevant agencies (TVET Departments, Ministries of Labour, OSH authorities, and Fisheries Departments) and include: standardized training and certification aligned with international standards; vocational training to diversify skills beyond traditional fishing (e.g., aquaculture, agriculture, tourism); and language training to improve communication with foreign crews and enhance career opportunities.

project_symbols:

RAS/20/01/EUR

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/recommendations/2344196

information_source:

Regional Office

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