EUROCITIES - Labour market integration of refugees and asylum seekers

This EUROCITIES report presents the ways cities work on labour market integration of refugees and asylum seekers through governance and strategy, cooperation with social partners and local labour policies. It also highlights the main challenges cities face and shares examples of good practices. Based on findings from 19 cities, the report finds that cities:

• Contribute to the effective integration of migrants and refugees in the labour market by having direct or shared responsibility with other levels of government and by providing services that complement strategies implemented by other levels of government;
• Take a cross-sectoral approach on refugee and asylum seekers’ integration and participation in the labour market;
• Develop social inclusion and labour market integration policies, which offer both general assistance and tailored services to address the specific needs of refugees;
• Address the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in the labour market through both vertical coordination (i.e. with regional and national levels of government) and horizontal coordination (i.e. with other local level bodies), to ensure a greater coordination and dialogue among public authorities, social partners and civil society organisations;
• Have changed their policy approach at the local level from an ‘integrate first, work later’ approach to an ‘integration through work’ approach, and made efforts to create a positive environment for refugees and asylum seekers.

EUROCITIES is a network of city governments across Europe. It includes the local governments of over 140 of the largest European cities and over 45 additional partner cities.