UNHCR Italy awarded 167 companies with the "Welcome" logo for integrating nearly 9,300 refugees in 2022, according to a press release dated June 26.

The UN agency describes these results as a positive and encouraging conclusion for the fifth edition of the UNHCR's program called "Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration".

Since 2017 the UN agency's program reportedly activated 22 thousand professional trainings for refugees in over 520 firms active in Italy.

The 'Welcome' program at a glance

• The Welcome program was launched seven years ago as an award for companies that hire refugees
• It brings together several actors, according to the UN: companies, civil society and trade associations, and public institutions
• The model is based on matching up the firms' recruiting needs and the capability of identifying and assessing profiles, training, and professional support of the civil society organizations

Facts and figures

• From last year until today, the total number of firms awarded on Italian territory has increased from 107 to 167
• With regard to those employed, in addition to an overall increase (9,300 persons compared to 6,900) there was a significant increase in women who benefited from the program, going from 10% to 18%, the press release stated
• With regards to the type of professional employment, 93% of those hired received a fixed-term contract while the number of permanent contracts grew from 3% to 5%
• 76% of the people were between the ages of 18 and 35, said UNHCR
• Nigeria and Pakistan are the main countries of origin while there are approximately 400 Ukrainian refugees who also benefited from the program.

Hotel and restaurant businesses ranked first

• Among the sectors awarded, companies in the "restaurant and hotel business" came in first with 23% (compared to 16% in 2021), followed by the manufacturing sector with 22% and construction increasing to 7%
• Among the aspects determining the hiring of refugees, the first one for 25% of firms is their choice to "have a more relevant role in the community and for underprivileged persons"
• For 10% of the firms instead, the reason for employing refugees is determined by their technical (4%) and cross-disciplinary skills (6%) while 4% highlight "the lack of availability of young Italians for the roles needed by the companies"

Among the refugees present in Italy there is a rising percentage of persons with a high level of education and with significant professional experience which are well-aligned to match the needs of the firms, stated UNHCR.

Network, legal entry channels

Over the coming weeks, UNHCR said it will launch a corresponding online platform that will provide all involved refugees, firms, and civil society organizations an additional place to meet and cooperate.

Through the "Welcome" program, UNHCR says it wants to launch the first work corridors -- legal entry channels for refugee workers -- recently introduced by the legislation.

The project "Welcome.Working for refugee integration" is funded by the Intesa Sanpaolo charity fund (Fondo Beneficenza Intesa Sanpaolo), and was realized in cooperation with Adecco Foundation with the support of the Italian Ministry of Employment, Confindustria and the Global Compact Network Italia.