Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses how the particular situation of Turkey as an origin, transit and destination country brings to the fore the tensions and opportunities for shifting approaches to migration and development.

Paper long abstract:

This paper highlights lessons learned from a training of Turkish government officials on migration, labour mobility and development, conducted by the authors in April 2016. In a context of forced displacement, irregular migration and Turkey's evolving profile as an origin, transit and destination country, what stands between a rights based approach to migration management and recognizing the benefits of labour migration for development? Shifting paradigms and political approaches to migration and development in Turkey requires a focus on the economic contributions of labour migrants, diaspora engagement and relations with countries of origin.

Host to almost 2 million refugees and a number of migrant workers originating from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Germany, United Kingdom and Georgia, labour migration in Turkey is to a large degree happening outside the regulative framework. Informal employment is affecting the protection of migrant workers and their contribution to development.

The Government of Turkey is implementing comprehensive migration reforms. Turkey's policy changes will need to go beyond combatting irregular labour migration, exploitation and trafficking, to attract qualified foreign labour on the other in line with the needs of the labour market. However, migration policies within the country still needs strengthening, as discussed in a training of government officials in April 2016 and as shown in the paper's conclusions and recommendations forward.

This paper discusses the situation of a country caught between several requirements: governing migration, responding to forced displacement, and its own labour needs - and practices compatible with international legal frameworks.