The Registrar is on site in Wellington, New Zealand, covering key highlights and insights from CLEAR’s 8th International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation.
Workforce mobility is now a defining influence on regulatory systems around the world. At CLEAR’s International Congress, Lesleyanne Hawthorne, PhD, Emeritus Professor at the University of Melbourne, outlined how rising migration, shifting labour markets and expanding global training pathways are reshaping the pressures facing regulators.
Hawthorne reminded regulators that most regulatory frameworks were created long before today’s scale of movement and diversity of qualifications. She noted that regulators are “pincered by multiple and often competing pressures,” including public safety responsibilities, government strategies to address workforce shortages, employer expectations for timely staffing and the professional aspirations of migrants.
Across OECD countries, migration continues to grow, and the route a migrant takes into a country strongly influences their experience with credential recognition. Australia illustrates this trend clearly. Twenty-nine per cent of its population is foreign born, and temporary workers fill essential roles in remote regions, particularly in medicine, where communities often rely heavily on internationally trained professionals.
The global training environment is also changing at a rapid pace. The number of medical schools worldwide has increased from about 2,500 to more than 4,500 in just 15 years. Programs vary widely in length, structure and accreditation oversight, which adds significant complexity to assessing practice readiness. Differences in available technology and clinical exposure can further affect how quickly professionals adapt to new regulatory and practice settings.
Regulators are also contending with more sophisticated forms of credential fraud. Hawthorne shared examples ranging from well-developed reference mills to the purchase of authentic documentation, underscoring the need for improved verification processes and collaboration with national partners.
Hawthorne emphasized that bridging programs, modular upskilling and regulator involvement in program accreditation are critical supports for safe and fair integration. She closed with a clear message. “Nothing is going to get easier. It is all going to get more complex.”
8th International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation
Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR)
Congress Presenter: Lesleyanne Hawthorne, PhD, Emeritus Professor, University of Melbourne
