ELA, in collaboration with the Netherlands’ Labour Authority and France’s Gendarmerie Nationale, organised the EMPACT Analytical Meeting on Labour Exploitation. The meeting took place in Paris on 20 and 21 April and brought together about 60 representatives of labour inspectorates and law enforcement authorities, particularly strategic analysts and researchers at the working level.

The event provided a platform for sharing knowledge on national approaches for detecting, investigating and sanctioning labour exploitation and trafficking in human beings, with a particular focus on the analytical aspects. Participants also had an opportunity to discuss their experiences and challenges, including case studies related to labour exploitation and trafficking.

This meeting followed the EMPACT Analytical Meeting held in Madrid last year, the first analytical meeting on labour exploitation supported by ELA. This year discussions were centred around different criminal phenomena of labour exploitation, ranging from detection to enforcement and follow-up. During the meeting, the representatives of national authorities shared experiences and actions taken in tackling trafficking of human beings for labour exploitation. The meeting showcased examples of detection and investigation using the software and databases to detect cases of undeclared work, social fraud, and letterbox companies in various sectors.

The 2023 EMPACT Analytical Meeting on Labour Exploitation provided again a valuable opportunity for exchanges between representatives from labour inspectorates and law enforcement authorities and offered a space to share insights, strategies and challenges related to tackling labour exploitation and trafficking of human beings.