Global Skill Partnerships for Migration

P R E P A R I N GT O M O R R O W ’ SW O R K E R SF O RH O M EA N D A B R O A D Pablo Acosta, Çaglar Özden,Jeremy Lebow, Limon Rodriguez, and Evelina Dahlgren Global SkillPartnerships forMigration PREPARING TOMORROW’S WORKERSFOR HOME AND ABROAD Pablo Acosta, Çaglar Özden,Jeremy Lebow, Limon Rodriguez, and Evelina Dahlgren © 2025 The World Bank Group1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank Group with external contributions. “The World Bank Group” refers to the legallyseparate organizations of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Asso-ciation (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). The World Bank Group does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the content included in this work, or theconclusions or judgments described herein, and accepts no responsibility or liability for any omissions or errors (including, withoutlimitation, typographical errors and technical errors) in the content whatsoever or for reliance thereon. The boundaries, colors,denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World BankGroup concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The findings, interpreta-tions, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations of the World Bank Group,their respective Boards of Executive Directors, and the governments they represent. The contents of this work are intended for general informational purposes only and are not intended to constitute legal, securities,or investment advice, an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investment, or a solicitation of any type. Some of the orga-nizations of the World Bank Group or their affiliates may have an investment in, provide other advice or services to, or otherwisehave a financial interest in, certain of the companies and parties named herein. Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities ofany of the organizations of The World Bank Group, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank Group encourages dissemination of its knowledge, thiswork may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given and allfurther permissions that may be required for such use (as noted herein) are acquired. The World Bank Group does not warrantthat the content contained in this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, and accepts no responsibility or liability in thisregard. All queries on rights and licenses should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H StreetNW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org. Photos: Bussakon/Adobe Stock (cover); SUKHUM/Adobe Stock (divider)Editing: Fayre Makeig and Nita CongressDesign and layout: Nita Congress Contents ForewordviiAcknowledgmentsixAuthorsxGlossary of termsxiiAbbreviationsxiv Overview 1: At a crossroads: How labor migration systems must adaptto evolving demographic and economic trends17 1.1Demographic imbalances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181.2Sectoral and occupational shortages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291.3Global supply of skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341.4Evolving migration trends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381.5Tying it all together: Implications of current demographic, skill, and migration trends for the futureof global migration systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 2: The principles of Global Skill Partnerships 53 2.1GSPs: Definition and elements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .542.2Examples of GSPs and other similar mobility and skill partnerships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .592.3The three defining features of GSPs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Spotlight 3: GSPs and the vocational training and labor market policy agenda77 3: Designing GSPs for scalability and success 83 3.1Training design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .