Responsible Recruitment of Migrant Workers - “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.
“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” So observed John Maynard Keynes, reflecting on the challenge of reshaping economic thinking through government policy. His insight extends far beyond economics. It speaks to a universal truth: real change is rarely about invention alone—it is about breaking free from entrenched assumptions and practices.
Across industries, businesses continually grapple with this tension. When they succeed in escaping established orthodoxies, the results can be transformative. Entire sectors can be reshaped and new ones created. Companies such as Uber and Deliveroo illustrate how “out-of-the-box” thinking—enabled by the internet, mobile technology and evolving customer demand—has redefined expectations around how services are packaged, delivered and consumed.
Of course innovation is rarely without consequence, nor do new business models begin with a clean slate. Many carry forward familiar gaps in worker protection, with longstanding issues around rights and security reappearing in new forms.
While the internet has expanded access to knowledge, transparency and opportunity, not all disruption is driven by technology. Industries are increasingly being reshaped by external pressures: geopolitical instability, climate change, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and intensifying competition. For those focused on migrant labour, demographic change is a critical additional force. Ageing populations in many economies are driving greater reliance on migrant workers to sustain both care systems and broader economic performance. In this environment, organisational agility—and a willingness to think differently—becomes essential to resilience.
And yet, some systems remain stubbornly rooted in the past. The recruitment and deployment of migrant workers is too often one such example. For years, the burden of recruitment fees has fallen on those least able to bear it. Workers seeking opportunities abroad have been forced to navigate opaque and bureaucratic processes, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by intermediaries. Recruitment agents, in turn, often operate within systems shaped by corruption and informal practices, perpetuating a cycle that has proven difficult to break.
The result is an exploitative recruitment ecosystem so deeply embedded that attempts at reform are frequently met with resistance—even from workers themselves, for whom the system, however flawed, is familiar.
But there are signs of change.
In some recruitment corridors, workers are beginning to recognise that employment opportunities need not come at a personal cost. Agencies are starting to understand that long-term viability may depend on adapting their business models. Suppliers are realising that responsible recruitment is no longer peripheral, but integral to customer expectations and due diligence.
Forward-thinking organisations across supply chains are beginning to see responsible recruitment not just as an ethical obligation, but as a source of competitive advantage. As legislation tightens and market access becomes increasingly contingent on compliance, new models are emerging—ones that challenge long-standing assumptions about who should bear the cost of recruitment and how these systems should operate.
Are we, then, witnessing the early stages of an escape from old ideas and a new paradigm centred around a simple Responsible Recruitment Base Code
No Recruitment Fees - Workers should never pay recruitment fees or related costs. Recruitment should operate under the Employer Pays Principle.
No Document Retention - Workers must retain access to their passports, identity documents and personal documents at all times.
Clear Contracts - Employment contracts must be transparent, understood by workers, and honoured in practice.
Access to Grievance and Remedy - Workers must have access to trusted systems to raise concerns and obtain remedy if problems occur.
It is too soon to say with certainty. But the cracks are clearly beginning to show in older traditional models and ways of thinking and operating—and with them come new opportunities. As Keynes understood, that is- or could be, where meaningful change begins.