Global Development: Views from the Center
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September 12, 2006
McPassport to Labor Mobility! (Seriously!)
Posted by Lawrence MacDonald at 07:23 PM
Hat Tip to the PSD Blog for an intriguing story that the mainstream media almost entirely missed today. The president of McDonald's Europe announced in Brussels plans to issue European McDonald's employees a "McPassport" -- a new type of document that could greatly increase the labor mobility of its 225,000 European employees. Christine Bowers at PSD Blog writes:
The McPassport (I'm not making this up) makes its easier for employees to move to another of the roughly 6,000 McDonalds locations in Europe. The document contains detailed information on the employee - such as positions held, dates and salary history - although he or she will still go through an interview before hiring.
I thought this might be a hoax, except that the TheParliament.Com is quoting EU employment commissioner Vladimír Špidla as welcoming the initiative:
“This initiative by McDonald’s is an excellent example of interaction between the creation of a policy and its implementation on the ground,” Špidla argued – although he noted that the company in question is American, not European.Špidla said that EU governments must urgently work on promoting mobility among their workers – according to commission estimates, two to three million jobs across the EU are not filled in great part because of the lack of mobility among the continents’ workers.
On Friday CGD will release a new book, Let Their People Come: Breaking the Gridlock on Global Labor Mobility, by non-resident fellow Lant Pritchett that argues provocatively (and to me persuasively) that rich country labor markets should be much more open to low-skilled workers from the developing world. Global corporations may turn out to be some of poor people's best allies in pushing for greater labor mobility. Can a global McPassport be far behind?
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Comments
There was a remarkable article in yesterday's Guardian by Brendan Barber, Britain's senior trade union official, calling for free movement of labour.
If global corporations and the labor movement were to join forces to call for greater labor mobility, that could have an enormous effect with profound benefits for developing countries.
Posted by: Owen Barder at September 13, 2006 02:30 AM
This is an interesting intiative. It addresses one issue that comes up in discussions of labor mobility which is the screening and administrative requirements of moving workers across borders. National agencies are often overworked and highly cosly if asked to do all of the processing. A key debate in structuring programs for temporary labor mobility is the extent to which this would be handled exclusively by the host country individual by individual or the extent to which as many of the adminsitrative costs could be handled by employment agencies or labor brokers in the sending countries. A key advantage of sending country agencies is that employees of receiving country governments (either in country or in embassies abroad) who are very expensive do not have to spend as much time interacting with individual applications. The danger of labor brokers is to the migrants as when work permission is linked to a single employer the worker is at great risk. Some mix of portable work persmissions but allocated to registered employment agencies might be a good compromise.
Posted by: Lant Pritchett at September 14, 2006 01:22 PM
Should We globalize Labour too?
I support Lant's idea 100% that rich country labour markets should be much more open to low - skilled workers from the developing world. That will somewhat contribute to Millennium Development Goal No.1: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. My younger sister who is agricultural assistant officer with a qualification in Rural Domestic Economy and is a widow would like to get an international job in Baby Sitting or a domestic servant so she may be able to raise up her children effectively.. I am therefore very grateful to Lant's idea.
Thank you
Francisca 'Mapitso Matsoha
Posted by: Francisca 'Mapitso Matsoha at June 19, 2007 10:33 AM
I am so grateful and put my trust in CGD, because I have realised that CGD is very serious about developmental issues. I have just met one of the Lesotho Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees, telling me about the seriousness of assisting the Basotho Community to go and work outside. This serves as an indicator that, Lant's idea have been adopted by nations.
Presented by: Francisca 'Mapitso Matsoha
Posted by: Francisca 'Mapitso Matsoha at January 31, 2008 02:58 AM