Migrant workforce: needs, conditions, public health challenges and education - Session

Sep 30, 2026

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Workshop and panel summary on integrating a migrant workforce into Europe’s labour market through safe, effective, culturally competent approaches. It addresses Europe’s workforce shortage and the absence of an EU-level policy for smooth integration as populations age. The session highlights the need for updated occupational health professional education aligned with WHO and ECDC guidance, including migration health content in occupational, public and primary care training, supported by a task force and a scoping review of existing data.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background and Objectives

Workshop Plan

2nd World Congress on Migration, Ethnicity, Race & Health Abstract Book vi9 will be the plan for UPMS, NOVA NSPH and ARU to launch and test a migrant workforce focused occupational health training package (MWFOHT) and share results with the task force members’home institutions, EUPHA, and OSHA, to support further work. As an expected follow up of the WS, a model of MWFOHT will be developed and tested. The model will be shared within the framework of the Task Force institutions with the intent of improving professional education pertaining to successful integration of the migrant workforce into the European labour market. Main Messages: Europe suffers from a significant workforce shortage of national workers. It is essential that there is a smooth, effective, and safe integration of a migrant workforce. Migrant workforce integration requires updated education for occupational health professionals aligned to WHO and ECDC guidelines. Abstract citation ID: ckaf180 .027 184 Migrant workforce: needs, conditions, public health challenges and education Istvan Szilard1, Sonia Dias2, Richard Hayhoe3, Bernadette Nirmal Kumar4, Charles Agyemang5, Erika Marek1, Kia Goolesorkhi1, Istvan Kiss1 1University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary 2NOVA National School of Public Health, Lisbon, Portugal 3Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom 4Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway 5Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands WKS 18: Migrant workforce: needs, conditions, public health challenges and education, B309 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 14:45-15:45 Background and Objectives: Europe has an ageing population and migrant labour is likely to be critical in balancing the steep decline in the number of working age individuals. At present there is no agreed EU-level policy on how to effectively, smoothly and safely integrate these migrants into the European workforce. Key issue of the integration of migrant workforce is assuring quality and culturally competent health care, namely through inclusion of migration health aspects into occupational, public and primary health care training for professionals in receiving countries. Institutions represented in the WS panel wish to establishment a Task Force on migrant workforce (MWFTF) occupational health training Workshop Plan: This workshop will take a round-table format to allow free discussion between participants. Workshop members will plan the process to undertake a scoping review of available data on occupation related health conditions experienced by migrants and analyse whether these aspects are already incorporated into the current occupational health professionals’ training. Last for discussion

FAQs

Why is migrant workforce integration considered essential in Europe?

Europe faces a significant workforce shortage, and migrant labour is expected to help balance the decline in working-age individuals. Integration is required to be smooth, effective, and safe.

What main educational requirement is emphasized for occupational health professionals?

Education must be updated and aligned with WHO and ECDC guidelines, incorporating migration health aspects into occupational, public, and primary health care training for professionals.

What approach will the workshop use to assess existing training and evidence?

The workshop will use a round-table format and participants will plan a scoping review of available data on migrants’ occupation-related health conditions, then analyze whether those aspects are already included in current occupational health professionals’ training.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Stanley