THAMM Plus is a 36-month trans-regional program, funded by the European Union, and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which aims to facilitate the mobility of newly skilled and trained workforce between targeted North African countries and Italy to meet labour market shortages jointly identified by Moroccan and Tunisian authorities, as well as three Italian regions (Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna). At the same time, the Project contributes to strengthening migrant workers’ protection mechanisms throughout the migration cycle, whether workers are leaving the region, or seeking employment there. 

Across the European Union (EU), demographic, technological and economic developments are leading to skills shortages, mismatches and imbalances, as well as new skills requirements. Along with active and forward-looking employment and education policies, optimized, sustainable regular labour migration pathways can help addressing structural skills shortages, imbalances and emerging needs. At the same time, the population of North Africa has been growing constantly; however, the labour market has not grown as fast as the region's workforce, with unemployment rates increasing, and particularly concerning women and youth. 

In line with the EU Talent Partnerships comprehensive approach, THAMM Plus supports partner countries in building an enabling environment for the development and promotion of legal migration and mobility pathways, including within Africa and towards Europe, and facilitate the exchange of best practices across the region. Citizens of North African countries of working age, workers prone to seek job opportunities abroad, and migrants working in North Africa will benefit from the development of new pilot mobility & upskilling schemes for potential migrants, consistent with article 23 of Italian law on migration favouring regular migration and mobility, and undertaken by IOM in cooperation with relevant stakeholders in Morocco, Tunisia and Italy.  

Using the IOM Model of Skills Mobility Partnerships so as to maximize the potential win-win of labour and skills mobility for all parties involved, skills development opportunities - both for migrant workers and the local communities from where they are sourced - are at the heart of the response as they increase the workers employability in both the domestic and foreign labour markers, as well as contribute to their development in both countries of origin and destination.  

The THAMM Plus programme builds on and complements the regional action “Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa” (THAMM) phase I and II funded by the EU Trust Fund for Africa and phase III funded by the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation (NCIDI)-Global Europe (NDICI-GE). 

The Action is aligned to existing policy frameworks at global (Sustainable Development Goals 8 and 10, Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration) and regional level (African Union Migration Policy Framework Plan of Action 2018-2030, European Union New Pact on Migration and Asylum).  

 

SDG8 SDG10