ISSUES OF PROVIDING GUARANTEES AND SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR EAEU LABOUR MIGRANTS
Authors: Zhurunova Mereke 
Published: September 2024

Background: Today, the Eurasian Economic Union (hereinafter the EAEU) has formed its own
labour market; however, in the current international environment, issues related to ensuring
the health protection of migrants and their access to employment persist. Despite ongoing
efforts within the EAEU to develop and deepen Eurasian integration and improve the
regulatory framework, there is a need in the age of digitalisation to develop better access for
workers to social protection and medical support systems.
The relevance of this scientific article lies in the presence of problematic issues related to the
fact that many migrants are not registered and lack the documentation to protect them legally
and financially; this situation contributes to the development of informal employment and low

labour productivity. Although the EAEU countries have established working and socio-
economic conditions, the issue of ensuring health protection, access to work, and social

protection for labour migrants remains unsolved.
Methods: This article employs various methods of scientific cognition, including historical and
legal analysis, comparative legal study, induction and deduction, as well as analysis and
synthesis. It also applies the acts and regulations of the ILO.
What is the role of protecting the socio-economic and labour rights of migrant workers as the
main task of receiving states?
In law enforcement practice, to what extent do the provisions of international agreements
on the organised hiring of workers between receiving countries and countries of origin of
migrants ensure the adaptation of migrants to the legal regime of the host country, the
participation of migrants in the functioning of civil society institutions, and the monitoring
of migration processes?
How does national regulation of labour migration in integration associations of states
rationally organise their actions on the principles of national treatment for migrant workers?
Labour migration strengthens integration unions, creating strong social ties and developing
civil society institutions within the boundaries of integration associations. Since state
sovereignty is inextricably linked to the protection of the interests of fellow citizens in regulating
labour migration, all states participating in regional integration are called upon not only to
protect the rights of migrant workers but also to provide all conditions for migrants to fulfil
their obligations to civil society.
The study examined the free movement and provision of labour and social guarantees for
labour migrants in the EAEU and compared their situation in the EU. It also surveyed labour
migrants in the EAEU by questioning workers in education, medical care, and various private
sectors. This article is based on the results of this study.
This article examined the challenges in providing guarantees and social protection for EAEU
labour migrants. It proposed improvements to legal regulatory mechanisms and outlined
recommendations for improving and expanding opportunities for free movement while better
safeguarding the social and labour rights of migrants in the EAEU. The study’s primary
objectives were as follows:
- Examining the provisions of the ILO Convention on migrant workers.
- Collecting and analysing data on labour movement across the EAEU
- Analysing international EU treaties regarding the legal status of migrant workers
- Interviewing migrant workers in the EAEU on issues related to their provision of rights
and guarantees under the EAEU Treaty.
Results and conclusions: This study highlights the need to organise safe labour migration,
provide labour migrants with full access to digital services, improve the system of vocational
and technical education in line with labour market demands, as well as develop and implement
a unified system for ensuring the safety of workers and their families. Successful adaptation in
the host country is identified as a critical factor for both labour migrants and their families.
The authors recommend adding a dedicated chapter to the EAEU treaty that would
comprehensively address labour and social rights, along with their guarantees.