Labour migration should not be viewed as a threat to locals if countries such as South Africa are to benefit from its positive spinoffs. 

This is according to International Labour Organisation leaders who are attending a week-long, one of its kind conference and training on labour migration in Johannesburg. 

Aeneas Chuma – ILO Regional Director, Africa

The academy on labour migration is being held outside the ILO’s training centre in Turin, Italy for the first time since its inception and has been brought to South Africa due to the country’s critical role in international labour migration in past years. 

Ryszard Cholewinski – ILO Migration Branch, Geneva

The Migrating for Work Research Consortium (MiWORC) reported in 2015 that 82% of the working population in South Africa were “non-migrants”, however perceptions that migrant labourers are stealing jobs are still rife. The misconceptions have also influenced the rise of xenophobic attacks on foreign nations in some cities. 

Joni Musabayana – Director, ILO Southern Africa