WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Does legislation explicitly guarantee equal pay on the basis of migrant status?

Map reflects policies in place as of August 2016. Updates of these data are currently in progress.

The term “migrant status” includes references to ‘internal migrants’, ‘foreign migrant workers’, ‘immigrant status’, ‘foreign citizens’, and ‘economic migrants.’ For the purposes of this variable, the term “migrant status” captures all of these definitions.

No guarantee means that legislation does not take an explicit approach to prohibiting discrimination in pay on the basis of migrant status. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

General guarantee of equal pay means that legislation guarantees equal remuneration, equal pay for equal work, or equal pay for work of equal value generally— for example, by prohibiting discrimination based on “any status” or stating no worker may be discriminated against. This general prohibition is not specifically extended on the basis of migrant status.

Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status means that legislation extends a prohibition of discrimination at the workplace on the basis of migrant status, but does not explicitly address discrimination in pay on this basis. These broad prohibitions use language that could extend prohibition of discrimination across any aspect of work. It also includes cases where migrant status-based discrimination is prohibited in terms of employment.

Guarantees equal pay means that legislation either a) extends an explicit guarantee to equal remuneration or equal pay for equal work on the basis of migrant status, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on this basis alongside a guarantee for equal remuneration or equal pay for equal work to all workers.

Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value indicates a guarantee that types of work that require similar skill levels and are similarly productive are paid the same. In these cases, legislation either: a) extends an explicit guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value on the basis of migrant status, or b) extends a broad prohibition of workplace discrimination on the basis of migrant status alongside a general guarantee to equal pay for work of equal value to all workers.

Countries

Zimbabwe - No guarantee

Grenada - No guarantee

Palau - No guarantee

Indonesia - No guarantee

India - No guarantee

Iceland - No guarantee

Papua New Guinea - No guarantee

Haiti - No guarantee

Guyana - No guarantee

The Philippines - No guarantee

Guinea - No guarantee

Guatemala - No guarantee

Greenland - No guarantee

Israel - No guarantee

Greece - No guarantee

Qatar - No guarantee

Samoa - No guarantee

The Gambia - No guarantee

San Marino - No guarantee

France - No guarantee

Fiji - No guarantee

Saudi Arabia - No guarantee

Senegal - No guarantee

Marshall Islands - No guarantee

Pakistan - No guarantee

Oman - No guarantee

Solomon Islands - No guarantee

Lebanon - No guarantee

Maldives - No guarantee

Malaysia - No guarantee

Mauritania - No guarantee

Madagascar - No guarantee

Luxembourg - No guarantee

Federated States of Micronesia - No guarantee

Liechtenstein - No guarantee

Libya - No guarantee

Monaco - No guarantee

Lesotho - No guarantee

Morocco - No guarantee

Jamaica - No guarantee

Myanmar - No guarantee

Nauru - No guarantee

Kuwait - No guarantee

Nepal - No guarantee

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No guarantee

Kiribati - No guarantee

Niger - No guarantee

Nigeria - No guarantee

Jordan - No guarantee

Norway - No guarantee

Singapore - No guarantee

Sierra Leone - No guarantee

Egypt - No guarantee

Barbados - No guarantee

Brunei - No guarantee

Trinidad and Tobago - No guarantee

Botswana - No guarantee

Tunisia - No guarantee

Turkey - No guarantee

Bhutan - No guarantee

Benin - No guarantee

Tuvalu - No guarantee

Uganda - No guarantee

Belarus - No guarantee

Bangladesh - No guarantee

Burkina Faso - No guarantee

Bahrain - No guarantee

Bahamas - No guarantee

United Arab Emirates - No guarantee

Austria - No guarantee

Australia - No guarantee

United States of America - No guarantee

Uruguay - No guarantee

Antigua and Barbuda - No guarantee

Vanuatu - No guarantee

Vietnam - No guarantee

Zambia - No guarantee

Tonga - No guarantee

Burundi - No guarantee

Cambodia - No guarantee

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

South Sudan - No guarantee

Dominica - No guarantee

Spain - No guarantee

Denmark - No guarantee

Sri Lanka - No guarantee

St. Kitts and Nevis - No guarantee

St. Lucia - No guarantee

Croatia - No guarantee

Cote d'Ivoire - No guarantee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No guarantee

Republic of the Congo - No guarantee

Sudan - No guarantee

Suriname - No guarantee

Eswatini - No guarantee

Sweden - No guarantee

Switzerland - No guarantee

Thailand - No guarantee

Togo - No guarantee

Canada - No guarantee

Cameroon - No guarantee

Mali - No guarantee

South Africa - General guarantee of equal pay

Rwanda - General guarantee of equal pay

Peru - General guarantee of equal pay

Sao Tome and Principe - General guarantee of equal pay

Mauritius - General guarantee of equal pay

Panama - General guarantee of equal pay

Afghanistan - General guarantee of equal pay

Dominican Republic - General guarantee of equal pay

Andorra - General guarantee of equal pay

Bosnia and Herzegovina - General guarantee of equal pay

Ghana - General guarantee of equal pay

Ecuador - General guarantee of equal pay

Latvia - General guarantee of equal pay

China - General guarantee of equal pay

Comoros - General guarantee of equal pay

Albania - General guarantee of equal pay

Costa Rica - General guarantee of equal pay

Equatorial Guinea - General guarantee of equal pay

Algeria - General guarantee of equal pay

Cuba - General guarantee of equal pay

Chile - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Ethiopia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Finland - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Gabon - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Germany - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Cabo Verde - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Guinea-Bissau - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Belize - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Ukraine - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

United Kingdom - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Nicaragua - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Mozambique - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Republic of Korea - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Mongolia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

The Netherlands - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

New Zealand - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Lithuania - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Venezuela - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

North Macedonia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Argentina - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Armenia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Italy - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Namibia - Broad prohibition of workplace discrimination based on migrant status

Yemen - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Cyprus - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Djibouti - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Tanzania - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Angola - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Azerbaijan - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Central African Republic - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Bulgaria - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Uzbekistan - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Bolivia - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Belgium - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Malta - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Eritrea - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Liberia - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Hungary - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Iran - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

El Salvador - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Iraq - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Romania - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Japan - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Georgia - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Kazakhstan - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Kyrgyzstan - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Estonia - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Laos - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

- Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Slovakia - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Slovenia - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Mexico - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Honduras - Guarantees equal pay based on migrant status

Kenya - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Montenegro - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Ireland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Moldova - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Somalia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Paraguay - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Turkmenistan - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Poland - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Portugal - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Timor-Leste - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Russian Federation - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Tajikistan - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Syria - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Chad - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Serbia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Colombia - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Malawi - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Czech Republic - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status

Brazil - Guarantees equal pay for work of equal value based on migrant status