OSCE Office organizes discussions on labour migration in Armenia

YEREVAN, 1 April 2005 - The current situation of labour migration in Armenia was the focus of two meetings that took place this week in Yerevan. They brought together international experts and representatives of various Armenian governmental bodies dealing with international labor migration.

The events were organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Armenian Ministry of Labour and Social Issues and financially supported by the United Kingdom.

During the events, the OSCE Office presented the results of its review of Armenian legislation and administrative framework related to international migration and examples of best practices from other countries, as well as preliminary results of a nation-wide sociological survey of households on labour migration. The Ministry of Labour and Social Issues presented its labour migration strategy.

"Labour migration in Armenia is an important and challenging issue," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. "During the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of Armenians left the country in search of work. At the same time, this migration has helped to bridge Armenia's worst economic downturn."

"The issue of labour migration remains one of the biggest concerns of the Armenian Government," said Ashot Yesayan, First Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Issues. "We welcome the expertise of the OSCE Office in this area."

According to the findings of a recent survey, 14 % of households in Armenia have been involved in labour migration in the past three years and in more than half of the cases, the length of stay abroad varied between 5 and 9 months.

"In recent years, Armenia's economic growth has been robust and there is a need to develop sound policies that will enable labour mobility and also ensure conditions in which jobs are created at home," said Blanka Hancilova, Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office.

International migration is one of the OSCE priorities this year and the main theme of the Thirteenth Economic Forum to be held in Prague in May.