Migration and Home Affairs

Employers together for Integration

A Commission's initiative to support labour market integration

On 23 May 2017 the Commission launched the initiative Employers together for integration on 23 May 2017 at the occasion of the second meeting of the European Dialogue on Skills and Migration to give visibility to what employers are doing to support the integration of refugees and other migrants into the labour market.

The successful integration of third-country nationals in the EU labour market represents an opportunity for our societies. When effectively integrated they can help improve the functioning and performance of the labour market, as well as support fiscal sustainability. In this process, the role of economic and social partners, and in particular of employers, is crucial. Several initiatives have been initiated by employers, trade unions, chambers of commerce in many member states.

The European Social fund is the main funding instrument supporting labour market inclusion, including of migrants. The Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) can also provide funding for preparatory measures to access the labour market. A call for proposal under AMIF will be launched in the second part of 2017 to support initiatives by employers and social partners to promote the labour market integration of refugees and other migrants.

Employers can join this initiative by following the link below and by describing their current and future actions to support the integration of refugees and other migrants in their workforce and beyond. If you are providing apprenticeships for migrants and refugees, you can also join the European Alliance for Apprenticeships.

- Join the initiative -

Employers supporting the initiative

We, as an employer, are willing to support the integration of refugees and other legal migrants, contributing to making Europe a place where a different origin or nationality does not impact or limit opportunities and participation.

In order to remain competitive in the global market, and in view of its demographic declining trends, more than ever Europe needs the right skills and competences for its labour market and economy to flourish. The skills, talents and competences of refugees and other legal migrants should not be wasted. When effectively integrated into the labour market, they can help meet the growing needs for skills across various sectors in EU Member States and make the European economy stronger.

While public policies and actors play a key role in facilitating the integration process, employers, including large companies, SMEs and public employers, can make an essential contribution in facilitating the integration of refugees and other legal migrants into the labour market and beyond. Offering opportunities, valuing and further developing skills and competences and facilitating the creation of an inclusive workplace are only some of the areas where employers can take action to make integration a reality. Several efforts were made over recent years across Europe to support refugees' labour market integration and many employers are already engaged in this field. Now is the moment to build on these, create synergies, multiply and scale-up actions.

Deutsche Telekom AG

As Deutsche Telekom, we commit to the following concrete actions:

Offering refugees concrete opportunities to enter the labour market through

  • Internships: providing internships for refugees that are structured around concrete learning outcomes
  • Apprenticeships and Corporate Bachelor Degree Programmes: providing places for refugees, combining them with language training and bridging programmes in cooperation with the German Federal Employment Agency and the Office of Migration and Refugees
  • Jobs: the development of the new program “Praktikum plus Direkteinstieg” combining internship and direct entry positions in order to allow refugees to adapt to European working life in co-operation with two other German companies and the German Federal Employment Agency
  • Career guidance:
    • Providing general information about the German labour market and possible careers paths to refugees on the online platform handbookgermany.de supported by Deutsche Telekom
    • Initiating the online job search platform Careers4Refugees.de in co-operation with Jobstairs and Jobware

Supporting refugees in developing their skills to enter and remain in the labour market through

  • Scholarships: providing scholarships for refugees at the Telekom-owned University of Telecommunications Leipzig promoting information technology and telecommunication expertise and thus providing the scholarship holders with a first-class academic education
  • Application Trainings: providing learning materials for application trainings for refugees
  • Supporting trainers and supervisors in understanding refugees needs in the context of internships and apprenticeships
  • Post-placement support for refugees after they start working at Deutsche Telekom to ensure sustainability of employment

Create an environment that promotes inclusion, both in the workplace and beyond through

  • Favour exchange between employees with and without migrant backgrounds through round tables, networks and buddy programmes
  • Promoting volunteering through acknowledgment via special leave to staff who support integration outside work via volunteering
  • Subscribing to the Diversity Charter in Germany
  • Active participation in the initiative “Wir zusammen” and thus promoting co-operation amongst companies in order to tackle the issue of refugee integration into the labour market

Download the contribution of Deutsche Telekom.

Scandic Hotels AB

As Scandic Hotels, we commit to the following concrete actions:

  • Vocational Training for newly arrived refugees who take a job within Scandic
  • National Validation process for newly arrived refugees who have a professional background as Chefs, enabling them to show their skills in the kitchen and get access to the Swedish labour market.
  • Various kinds of internships giving refugees the opportunity to show their service-skills in our 84 hotels.
  • Mentorship cooperation with organizations that work with inclusion program for newly arrived refugees, covering both persons with academic and non-academic background
  • Internal training material such as team member surveys done in multiple languages
  • Internal tools (such as IPads for housekeeping staff) that are non-language - driven, i.e. working with pictures describing tasks and status reports instead of long sentences in local language
  • Uniform concept including a Hijab for muslim team members
  • Scandic Hotels is one of the founding companies for Diversity Charter in Sweden
  • Mentorship and coaching programs in in the most non inclusive areas of the major cities in Sweden

The Adecco Group

As Adecco Group, we commit to the following concrete actions:

  • Information sharing and an informed debate is crucial to drive integration of refugees in the labour market. Therefore, we publish a White Paper on World Refugee Day 2017. This White Paper will present best practices regarding social and workplace integration for refugees by private and public sector employers. It aims to create a dialogue and support engagement between stakeholders that are essential for a successful integration process.
  • We will continue to engage in and provide support to existing projects and activities which lead to workplace inclusion for refugees as well as for all other individuals who look for employment, continuing the success of projects like our collaboration with Humando in France, our online staffing platform for refugees in Germany, and our integration project in Italy. Areas of involvement could include skills assessment, skills training, job readiness training, job matching and placement, mentoring and any other HR related services. In general, we will aim for practical solutions that can support governments and employers across Europe successfully integrate refugees. Other third-country nationals could also benefit from some of the actions that we will put in place. 
  • Building on our advocacy efforts driven in the last years, we will continue to work closely with Governments; institutional stakeholders, such as the UNHCR, the EU Commission, the OECD, the ILO, the IOM and the World Employment Confederation, as well platforms such as the GFMD Business Mechanism, and the planned UN Global Compact on Migration to provide our view and share our expertise. We will also work closely with national stakeholders, in the countries we operate in.

Download the contribution from the Adecco Group.

Hanken & SSE Executive Education

As Hanken & SSE Executive Education, we commit to the following concrete action:

Implement an executive education program for educated refugees. A pilot took place in 2016, the second round is ongoing in 2017 - 40 participants in 2016, 32 in 2017. The program consists of training, online-learning, an internship in a Finnish company and mentoring.