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Labour Migration – BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab

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Our approach

Labour migration plays a key role in shaping local and global economies, labour markets, and livelihoods across the globe. As workers move across borders because of new opportunities, skills demand, and economic restructuring, labour migration supports innovation and advancement, fills critical labour shortages, and contributes to economic growth in both origin and destination countries.

At the same time, labour migration is evolving in the context of technological change, shifting employer practices, changes to immigration policy, and new forms of mobility, including temporary, circular, and digital work. Post-pandemic labour market adjustments, the expansion of global supply chains, and the growing use of automation and artificial intelligence are further transforming how migrant workers access opportunities and how skills are valued and deployed. Understanding these dynamics is essential for designing labour migration systems that are fair, inclusive, and sustainable for workers, employers, and societies alike.

Our research focus

Research under this theme looks at how people move across borders for work, how they find jobs, and how they build careers in new countries. It examines how labour migration rules, employer practices, and workplace conditions shape migrants’ job opportunities, skills use, and long-term outcomes. This research also explores how technology, digital platforms, and changing labour markets affect migrant workers’ choices, experiences, and access to decent work.

Our research on labour migration is conducted through the BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab, which is funded through a generous gift from BMO.

Key areas of inquiry include:

  • Labour migration pathways across skill levels, including permanent, temporary, and circular migration, and their implications for workers, employers, and host societies
  • Transitions within migration systems, such as pathways from temporary status to permanent residency and from education to employment
  • Labour market integration processes, including skills recognition, credentialing, occupational mobility, and the alignment between migrant skills and labour market needs
  • The role of employers, recruitment practices, and workplace cultures in shaping migrant employment outcomes and inclusion
  • Information environments and decision-making processes of migrant workers, including the role of digital platforms and social media
  • The impact of technological change, automation, and digital labour platforms on migrant work trajectories and employment conditions
  • Labour standards, protections, and access to rights for migrant workers across sectors, including those in non-standard and precarious forms of employment
  • Comparative and regional perspectives on labour migration systems, including the sustainability of contract-based and broker-mediated migration regimes
Browse all Labour Migration themed projects