There are many reports of migrant workers paying high fees and taking on debt at high interest rates to obtain contracts to work in other countries, prompting global efforts to develop a database of worker-paid migration costs and policies to reduce them. This Data Bulletin explores the data challenges and needs related to worker-paid fees and expenses incurred to obtain jobs in other countries. As recruitment costs are often high and lack transparency, the international community is striving to reduce them by introducing increased regulation and monitoring practices, educating migrants about their rights, and increasing cooperation between origin and destination countries.

IOM’s “Data Bulletin Series: Informing the Implementation of the Global Compact for Migration” spans a broad range of topics covered by the Global Compact for Migration, highlighting currently available data sources as well as data gaps and challenges relevant to each of them. Each Data Bulletin contains illustrative examples of initiatives and recommendations of investments needed to strengthen the evidence base underpinning the respective thematic area. The Data Bulletins are meant to provide a useful resource for decision makers as they begin to think about implementation of the Global Compact for Migration and the related data needs.