With the aim of raising awareness about recruitment trends, fundamental rights of workers and the current context of labour migration, the International Organization for Migration  and the Ministry of Labour and Professional Development  held a training on  3 September 2021  for people in charge of business management and human resources professionals. 

Julio Mosquera-Stanziola, Vice President of the National Association of Human Resources  Professionals  in Panama  (ANREH for its Spanish acronym),  presented how companies, in order to strengthen their efforts in a post-pandemic world,  must  revitalize their teams and make human resources a key part of  their  strategy, and also should enhance their leadership and develop their capacities. 

The companies that manage to survive COVID-19, according  to Mosquera-Stanziola, will be those that are agile, that change towards  remote or flexible work, prioritize the adoption and implementation of new technologies, listen to the feedback of their collaborating teams and act on it, invest in mental health and make decisions about the data collected by their human resources management teams. 

Sergio Paixão, Specialist in International Labour Standards at the International Labour Organization (ILO), explained that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies should take all necessary measures to avoid any risk to which workers, particularly migrant workers, may be exposed. Instructions, warnings, symbols and other signs relating to occupational safety and health must be communicated through the human resources management teams. 

On behalf of the Panamanian Institute of Law and Technology (IPANDETEC), Gabriel Cajiga, member of the board of directors, and Lía Hernández, Executive Director, presented the relationship between cybersecurity and human resources, and the importance of the protection of personal data. Companies must create a culture of cybersecurity, in addition to having policies, regulations, and protocols that detail an action plan in the event of a cyberattack. For human resource management teams, technology can be a great ally in the accretion of massive data and automation of processes, however, human trafficking and modern slavery are still risks. 

This session complements previous sessions held under the global initiative of the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS)  to demonstrate how Ethical Recruitment can protect the rights of migrant workers, prevent human trafficking and forced labour,  and  how the commitment of all actors will enable a good governance of migration and the economic development of countries. 

In addition to being ethical, recruitment must be inclusive to achieve sustainable development and energize the global economy. For Claudia Escobar, Country Manager of ManPower Group, it is proven that inclusive companies tend to be more efficient, because they recognize social diversity and integrate it into their business models through policies, initiatives, and a philosophy of respect and collaboration. Human resources management teams, as well as all the people involved in the human capital cycle, must be aware and act in the face of possible biases that may exist and prevent sustainable labour inclusion. 

The session culminated with a presentation by Marisol Linero, IOM Labour Migration and Law Consultant in Panama, on the general context of labour migration worldwide, the  IRIS Standard, which explains what ethical recruitment means in  practice, and the risks involved in the  recruitment of companies' human resources. 

For more information, please contact Mayteé Zachrisson, IOM Communications and Media Assistant in Panama, at mzachrisson@iom.int.