OIM - Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritius de 2026

International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons, P.O. Box 17, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland T el.: +41 22 717 9111 • Website: www.iom.int Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for MauritiusThe opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the publication do not imply expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. _____________________________ This publication was made possible through support provided by the IOM Development Fund, under the “Promoting Regional Integration through Diaspora Capital: A Joint IOM–UNDP Initiative” project.

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PUB2025/010/ELFeasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritiusiii Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritius CONTENTS List of figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v List of tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Abbreviations and acronyms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Executive summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix 1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2

1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 Methodological approach to the study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.1. Research methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.2. Limitations and mitigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 Comparative practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.1. Schemes in Mauritius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.2. Review of global policies and strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.3.

3.2. Review of global policies and strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.3. Diaspora engagement platforms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4 Market feasibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4.1. Understanding the nature of demand: Skills shortages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 4.2. Could this platform assist to address this demand?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 4.3.

Interest of the diaspora: Willingness to “meet the demand”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

5 Technical feasibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 5.1.

Building the platform: Aligning with existing repositories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.2.

5.1.

Building the platform: Aligning with existing repositories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5.2. Structure of the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 5.3. Stakeholders to be connected by the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 5.4. Look and feel of the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 5.5. Technical set-up of the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 6 Organizational feasibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 6.1. Key role players. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 6.2. Levels of organizational feasibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41iv Contents 7

6.2. Levels of organizational feasibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41iv Contents 7 Legal feasibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 8 Financial feasibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 8.1. Overview of cost components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 8.2. Alignment with government budgeting cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 8.3. Stakeholder payment of usage fees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 9 Risk assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 10 Proposed approach to implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

10 Proposed approach to implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 10.1. Options to consider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 10.2. Technical approach proposed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 10.3. Personas and user stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Appendix 1: Stakeholders interviewed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Appendix 2: User engagement data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Appendix 3: Skills development incentives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61v Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritius LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.  Outputs of research methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Figure 2.  Proposed platform marketplace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Figure 3.  Countries where Mauritian diaspora live. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Figure 4.  Period of overseas residence of Mauritian diaspora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Figure 4.  Period of overseas residence of Mauritian diaspora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Figure 5.  Reasons for visiting Mauritius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 6.  Interest of the diaspora in the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 7.  Countries from which the Mauritian diaspora returned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Figure 8.  Period since the diaspora returned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Figure 9.  Reasons for returning to Mauritius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Figure 10.  Sectors in which returned diaspora are working. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Figure 11.  Information resources available to the diaspora skills platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Figure 12.  Platforms used by the diaspora for opportunity search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Figure 13.  Platforms used by returned Mauritians for opportunity search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Figure 14.  Views of the diaspora on what the platform should include. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Figure 13.  Platforms used by returned Mauritians for opportunity search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Figure 14.  Views of the diaspora on what the platform should include. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Figure 15.  Views of returned Mauritians on what the platform should include. . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Figure 16.  Views of the diaspora on preferred functionalities of the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Figure 17.  Views of returned Mauritians on preferred functionalities of the platform. . . . . . . 34 Figure 18.  Devices used by the diaspora to access the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Figure 19.  Devices used by returned Mauritians to access the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Figure 20.  Preferences of the diaspora for the look and feel of the platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Figure 21.  Preferences of returned Mauritians for the look and feel of the platform. . . . . . . . 36 Figure 22.  Mock-up of the diaspora skills platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Figure 23.  Personas (key users) and specific needs (user stories). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Figure 24.  Facebook views of www.lexpress.mu, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Figure 25.  Instagram views of www.lexpress.mu, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Figure 25.  Instagram views of www.lexpress.mu, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Figure 26.  LinkedIn views of www.lexpress.mu, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60vi List of tables LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Diaspora engagement platforms and programmes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Table 2. Demographic trends, 2027–2057. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Table 3. Top destinations for Mauritians, 2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Table 4. Number of Mauritian emigrants by place of residence and sex, 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Table 5. Risks and mitigation measures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Table 6. Benefits and limitations of an all-in-one platform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Table 7. Benefits and limitations of a hub platform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Table 8. Number of visitors to www.lexpress.mu, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Table 8. Number of visitors to www.lexpress.mu, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Table 9. YouTube views of www.lexpress.mu by location, September 2024. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59vii Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritius

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ADEPT African Diaspora Network in Europe

AFFORD

African Foundation for Development AHRIM Association des Hoteliers et Restauranteurs Ile Maurice API application programming interface BGN Brain Gain Network BPO business process outsourcing CBRD Corporate and Business Registration Department CIDO Citizens and Diaspora Directorate (African Union) CISD Central Information Systems Division EDB Economic Development Board GDPR General Data Protection Regulation GOC Government Online Centre HEC Higher Education Commission HRDC Human Resource Development Council ICT information and communications technology ICTA Information and Communication Technologies Authority IDN Indonesian Diaspora Network IIBN Irish International Business Network IME Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (Institute of Mexicans Abroad)

JAM-DEM

Jamaica Diaspora Engagement Model KII key informant interview MCCI Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry MDA ministry, department and agency MDS Mauritian Diaspora Scheme MEXA Mauritius Export Association MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade MITCI Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovationviii Abbreviations and acronyms MLHRDT Ministry of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training1 MOFEPD Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development MRA Mauritius Revenue Authority MRIC Mauritius Research and Innovation Council MUR Mauritian rupee MVP minimum viable product NGO

Ministry of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training1 MOFEPD Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development MRA Mauritius Revenue Authority MRIC Mauritius Research and Innovation Council MUR Mauritian rupee MVP minimum viable product NGO non-governmental organization PIO Passport and Immigration Office PMO Prime Minister’s Office SME small and medium-sized enterprise TNA training needs analysis TurkishWIN Turkish Woman’s International Network UdM Université des Mascareignes UoM University of Mauritius 1 The Ministry’s name has undergone changes. While the current official name of the Ministry is Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations, the former name “Ministry of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training (MLHRDT)” is used in this publication for consistency.ix Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritius EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Mauritian diaspora represents an important economic force of people who have gained international experience, distinguished themselves in several professions and fields, gained entrepreneurial acumen and are a resource available to the country to address critical skills shortages and contribute to broader socioeconomic development. Currently, there is a disconnect between interested members of the diaspora being able to find information about opportunities available to them, with related incentives to support their decision to return, and institutions and organizations in Mauritius actively seeking people with relevant skills and experience for employment, skills transfer or business partnership. This feasibility study explores the viability of establishing a diaspora skills platform aimed at creating the necessary linkages between the supply of opportunities in Mauritius and interested members of the diaspora who are willing to consider taking them up. Through research on international practice with regard to diaspora programmes, KIIs and surveys administered to the diaspora still abroad and Mauritians who have returned to the country, the study concludes that the concept of the diaspora skills platform has shown potential but it will only be feasible with certain critical success factors being addressed: • The platform is only one of several tools and initiatives to drive engagement with the diaspora.

concludes that the concept of the diaspora skills platform has shown potential but it will only be feasible with certain critical success factors being addressed: • The platform is only one of several tools and initiatives to drive engagement with the diaspora. It needs to form part of a broader diaspora engagement programme that focuses on building connection and trust. • There need to be tangible incentives and opportunities for the diaspora so as to meet the needs of both opportunity holders and members of the diaspora. This also requires a strong focus on partnership to drive economic growth and development. • A dedicated structure is required to drive diaspora engagement, coupled with building higher levels of coordination across key departments and institutions. Given that the study could not fully determine the levels of support from the private sector and the diaspora, a phased approach to implementation is proposed. The diaspora skills platform should, in the first phase, be established as an information hub collating resources pertinent to the diaspora and creating linkages with existing jobs sites, incentive schemes and information resources, rather than replicating them. A community forum, with a moderator, is proposed where the diaspora can register interest, ask questions and engage with each other. By analysing engagement over time and determining the number of individuals from the diaspora who register on and use the platform, it can be determined whether there is value in investing in a fully enabled opportunity-matching platform in the second phase of the project. Feedback from the diaspora who responded to the survey reflects that 70 per cent of Mauritians living abroad and 83 per cent of those already returned to live in Mauritius feel that a diaspora skills platform would have value to the diaspora considering a return to the country. While the rate of responses from the diaspora abroad is low, the results from returned Mauritians do indicate interest. Stakeholders interviewed for the study generally believe that a platform will have value, particularly with regard tox Executive summary short-term opportunities such as consultancies and technical assistance projects, although most of these stakeholders are in the public sector and higher education institutions. The research team did not

interviewed for the study generally believe that a platform will have value, particularly with regard tox Executive summary short-term opportunities such as consultancies and technical assistance projects, although most of these stakeholders are in the public sector and higher education institutions. The research team did not meet with sufficient representatives of organized businesses to confidently say that the private sector would actively support and use the platform. In terms of market feasibility, there is sufficient interest to propose a phased approach to implementation. A key factor in determining the success of the platform is to address the requirements identified in terms of organizational feasibility. Numerous stakeholders spoke of the need to both establish a coordinating structure to make key decisions about who is leading the broader diaspora programme and who is responsible for the management of the platform. The study proposes the establishment of a diaspora skills platform steering committee to address these issues, which could be a subcommittee of an existing structure or newly established. A single lead entity should be appointed to manage the design and development of the platform, as well as employ the human resources required to ensure its successful functioning. At a minimum, this includes a content manager, who will also serve as the content and platform manager; a web administrator to provide technical assistance; and a user support administrator. Key decisions need to be taken with regard to the institutional arrangements for the platform, without which it will not be viable. The MITCI has the capability in the GOC to host the platform at no additional cost to the lead institution – a government entity. The MITCI can provide database administrators as well as a project manager to assist with the development of detailed user requirements. The design and development of the platform and the web administration would remain the responsibility of the lead entity. The MITCI, through the Data Protection Office, will ensure that data protection standards are met. The study assesses that the requirements for technical feasibility are met. With the proposed phased approach to implementation, the initial stage of the platform will constitute an information hub. The information to be stored on it will relate to diaspora members who elect to register on it. The platform will provide basic information like an email address and possibly country of

assesses that the requirements for technical feasibility are met. With the proposed phased approach to implementation, the initial stage of the platform will constitute an information hub. The information to be stored on it will relate to diaspora members who elect to register on it. The platform will provide basic information like an email address and possibly country of location. The data will be protected in line with the Data Protection Act of 2017 and data protection regulations. Regulations pertaining to advertising and employment will relate largely to the sites from which data will be drawn. The legal feasibility therefore determines that the platform can operate within the current legal framework. Financial feasibility is directly linked to answering the question of who leads the implementation of the platform and hence will be responsible for its management and maintenance. Outcomes from the research reflect that there is an expectation that government will cover the costs of the platform, including design, development, hosting, content management and user support. The private sector and other parties are not likely to pay a fee to utilize it, particularly in the first phase of implementation. While funding for the design and development phase can be sought from an international donor, the ongoing operating costs need to be adequately covered within the budget of the lead entity. The budgeting cycle starts in March, so planning for the costs of the platform should be considered a priority if it is to be implemented in the year that follows.1 Feasibility Study to Establish a Diaspora Skills Platform for Mauritius 1 INTRODUCTION “The Mauritian diaspora overseas represents a substantial economic force of people who have gained international experience, distinguished themselves in several professions and fields, gained entrepreneurial acumen and have savings that can be used as project finance” (Seewooruthun, 2008). The Mauritian diaspora constitutes an important and relatively untapped resource that could contribute to the development of the country. The Government of Mauritius, together with the support of IOM, has implemented several measures and has sought to enhance existing mechanisms to facilitate the involvement, engagement and contribution of the Mauritian diaspora to the socioeconomic development of the country. These include the establishment of the MDS in 2015 (Mauritius, Government of, 2015),

has implemented several measures and has sought to enhance existing mechanisms to facilitate the involvement, engagement and contribution of the Mauritian diaspora to the socioeconomic development of the country. These include the establishment of the MDS in 2015 (Mauritius, Government of, 2015), the endorsement of the National Migration and Development Policy in 2018 (Cabinet Decisions – 1 June 2018), the implementation of the project titled “Pilot Mapping and Profiling of the Mauritian Diaspora in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom: Stories of Belonging, Impact and Opportunity” (IOM, 2021a) and the launch in 2023 of the Pilot Youth Diaspora Volunteering Project titled “Nou Rasinn: Look Forward, Give Back” (Mauritius GIS, 2023), aimed at providing the youth diaspora with the opportunity to connect and contribute to their country of origin. Beyond the deep cultural and national ties that exist between Mauritius and its citizens living abroad, there is an urgency to address the current and anticipated skills shortages across a number of sectors of the economy. Mauritius urgently requires skills at all levels of the workforce (MLHRDT Human Resource Development and Training Division, 2023). One particular target group for skills is the Mauritian diaspora. While the absolute number of Mauritians abroad is not currently known, estimates suggest in excess of 200,000 people, and there is a commitment to engage with the pool of potential resources and facilitating their return to Mauritius in the interest of addressing skills gaps. One mechanism to facilitate engagement with, and ultimately encourage return of, the Mauritian diaspora is a diaspora skills platform. By enabling easy access to information about economic opportunities and providing a one stop‑shop for resources, the platform is envisaged to be a potentially useful tool to support the broader diaspora programme. This feasibility study assesses the likely market for such a platform, considering market demand from opportunity holders, including employers, and the potential supply of skills with a focus on diaspora candidates. The study reviews the technical, organizational, legal and financial feasibility of setting up

support the broader diaspora programme. This feasibility study assesses the likely market for such a platform, considering market demand from opportunity holders, including employers, and the potential supply of skills with a focus on diaspora candidates. The study reviews the technical, organizational, legal and financial feasibility of setting up such a platform and highlights the key decisions that need to be taken to make it successful. The research conducted in Mauritius is located within the broader global context of diaspora programmes and platforms, reflecting on important learnings that can guide the design and implementation of such a platform.2 Methodological approach to the study 2 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY 2.1. Research methods In order to understand the context and form in which diaspora engagement is taking place, and to solicit as wide a range of views and ideas as possible, the study adopted a mixed-method approach using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. • Desktop review: The team conducted wide-ranging research on policies and procedures relating to the diaspora and skills requirements in Mauritius. The team drew on documentation provided by IOM and sourced from various organizations interviewed during the study. Various data sources on the diaspora were consulted to complement the diaspora mapping study already undertaken by IOM and to better understand how the diaspora could be reached on an ongoing basis to ensure utilization of the platform. The team reviewed international practice with regard to diaspora programmes, with a specific focus on skills platforms. • KIIs: A series of KIIs were conducted, both physically in Mauritius during the week of 7–11 October 2024 as well as virtually during the month (a full list of organizations contacted and those interviewed physically and virtually are included in Appendix 1). Public sector stakeholders targeted for interviews included ministries and government organizations involved in labour policy, skills planning, education and training, migration and diaspora engagement. Private sector organizations included industry and business representative bodies, companies involved in skills‑matching and expatriate engagement, and media organizations. In addition, interviews were conducted with individuals who had returned to Mauritius. Semi-structured

in labour policy, skills planning, education and training, migration and diaspora engagement. Private sector organizations included industry and business representative bodies, companies involved in skills‑matching and expatriate engagement, and media organizations. In addition, interviews were conducted with individuals who had returned to Mauritius. Semi-structured interview guides approved by IOM were used during the meetings, with customizations included for certain stakeholders. • Online surveys: In order to triangulate the findings from the qualitative data collection, the research team designed and implemented two surveys, both distributed through Survey Monkey in En