Exchange of skills and knowledge

The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) covers both highly skilled and less skilled movement. Temporary migration offers specific development gains, such as facilitating knowledge and skills transfer. When workers return home they can also demonstrate the benefits of investment in education and infrastructure.

Current GATS commitments are in the areas of highly skilled movement. Clearly, the movement of knowledge workers, IT and other consultants, highly specialized contractual service suppliers and independent professionals is important, particularly in a North-North or North-South context, but increasingly also in a South-North context.

But such movement still faces considerable hurdles, such as burdensome immigration requirements, visa procedures and failure to recognize qualifications.

But it is increasingly evident that less skilled and semi-skilled movement has a lot to contribute to development. This does not necessarily mean unskilled labour, but rather labour with special skills. Proportionately more funds are remitted by less skilled or semi-skilled workers than by their higher-skilled compatriots. This makes a strong case for liberalizing less-skilled movement, and the ongoing GATS negotiations could well provide a tool for that purpose.

Protecting migrant workers

Moreover, when moving illegally, individuals are particularly prone to abuse and exploitation. Legal movement would significantly reduce this risk. Legal movement in the framework of GATS commitments should take place within the context of the receiving country´s laws and regulations. Human rights, social and health concerns must receive due consideration. WTO commitments would not, of course, alter the primary importance and enforceability of human rights, social, health and safety standards. Governments´ international commitments, including their commitments under the UN human rights instruments and ILO conventions, would remain valid. In fact, these instruments would create an even broader framework for realizing a rights-based approach to the movement of individuals, with the GATS being one of several components.