Developing skills for fair and efficient labour migration with ETF
The European Training Foundation (ETF) has published the thematic report Skills for fair, efficient labour migration. Research evidence for new policies and actions and the Working Paper Skills and migration in changing labour markets, which are now available online. The publications are the result of the work carried out within the Community on skills dimension of migration (MIGCOM), launched by ETF in 2025 under the ETF Skills Lab Network of Experts, a community that has been managed and coordinated by Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini on behalf of ETF since 2022.
Established in 2021 to foster knowledge creation and exchange within the research community on skills anticipation and matching, the ETF Skills Lab Network of Experts connects experts and researchers from different institutions and countries across Europe and beyond, serving as a platform for evidence-based dialogue and collaborative research. Through its Policy Evaluation & Human Capital Area, FGB has been responsible for the management, coordination, and animation of the Network for the past four years.
As part of the Skills Lab ecosystem, MIGCOM was established to address the growing challenges of labour migration and to strengthen understanding of the links between mobility, skills development, and employment. The community brings together leading specialists from universities, research centres, and international institutions worldwide to produce evidence and support forward-looking policy dialogue between the European Union and its neighbouring countries.
To foster knowledge co-creation and exchange, MIGCOM launched an international call for papers between June 2025 and April 2026. Regarding the thematic report, the entire process – from the design and management of the call to the coordination of peer reviews, editorial work, and publication preparation – was managed by FGB on behalf of ETF.
"Following an extensive editorial and peer-review process, 19 articles were ultimately selected for publication" explains Chiara Fratalia, Manager at FGB's Policy Evaluation & Human Capital Area and Delivery Coordinator of the project. "Eleven contributions have been included in the thematic report Skills for fair, efficient labour migration, while a further eight articles have been published in the complementary Working Paper Skills and migration in changing labour markets. Both publications are available on the ETF website".
The thematic report explores how labour migration can be framed as a mutually beneficial process for countries of origin, countries of destination, and migrants themselves. Combining evidence-based analysis with practical policy recommendations, the publication highlights the importance of aligning skills development, qualifications recognition, and migration governance, and contributes to ongoing debates on how to address global skills shortages and mismatches while promoting more balanced, informed, and humane migration policies. Ultimately, it advocates for a vision of migration as a driver of shared prosperity and sustainable development.
The Working Paper analyses how ongoing transformations in labour markets, migration regimes and systems of skill formation are reshaping the relationship between mobility and human capital development.
The two publications will be officially presented during the ETF Research forum on evidence-based policies on skills and migration, taking place in Brussels on 9-10 June 2026. The event will bring together authors selected through the MIGCOM Call for Papers, representatives of the European Commission, members of the ETF Governing Board, and ETF staff.
