In 2020, the New Pact on Migration and Asylum emphasised the importance of creating new legal pathways in the context of labour migration, skills matching and addressing labour shortages.[1] In this context, and in view of unprecedented demographic changes, technological development and the growing mobility of workers, Skills Mobility Partnerships (SMPs) with third countries are being considered as part of the solution to skills shortages in the EU. This joint EMN-OECD inform presents experiences of implementing SMPs and similar initiatives in the EU and globally.

Several EMN Member States[2] reported on relevant initiatives with some features of SMPs, for instance development cooperation projects involving the development of skills, multi-stakeholder involvement, training, and mobility. Also non-EU examples are presented in the inform. For Belgium, five SMP projects have been highlighted in this inform.

SMPs are being regarded as a valuable policy tool for skills development and labour mobility. Such a policy tool can help destination countries to meet labour market needs and improve migrant’s career prospects whilst also contributing to countries of origins’ development. Additionally, SMPs come with their own challenges. The IOM has enlisted eight essential prerequisites for the success of SMPs, namely long- and mid-term planning; multi-stakeholder approach and policy coherence; availability of data for evidence-based policy; local development and job creation; skills classification and recognition at national level and beyond; possibility to address the social aspects of employment and mobility; incorporation of migration considerations; and cost reduction and sharing[3].