A total of 13,500 asylum seekers and documented migrants with permission to work were hired by large companies in the Netherlands last year, according to media reports. A new study moreover shows that more and more migrants are finding work across the EU.
Issam, a Syrian who fled to the Netherlands nearly seven years ago, has been climbing the ranks at furniture giant IKEA and is now a team leader for four departments.
The 49-year-old came into contact with IKEA after spending a long time in an asylum seekers' center, Dutch-language media outlet Nu.nl reported on Monday (July 20). He started work for the company in March 2022, confirmed Tent Nederland to InfoMigrants.
"Work is important. I can now provide for my family," Issam is quoted as saying in the article. "Furthermore, a job also leads to acceptance in society. I notice that my neighbors respect that."
IKEA is one of 51 large companies committed to helping documented migrants with permissions to live and work, as well as Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers enter the labor market in the Netherlands. Together, these companies hired 13,500 asylum seekers and migrants with status last year, Nu.nl reported citing figures by Tent Nederland.
The hirings, which encompass both permanent and temporary positions, mainly concern jobs in logistics, hospitality, facility services and technology, Nu.nl reported.
Help with connections
Hélène van Melle, director of Tent Nederland, noted that businesses finding it increasingly easier to connect with refugees now extends to asylum seekers, who were granted the right to work full-time following a 2023 legislative change.
"Employers initially had great difficulty getting in touch with these people. But within a year, we have seen that companies are open to employing asylum seekers," van Melle is quoted saying in the Nu.nl article.
Established last year, Tent Netherlands is an offshoot of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a global network of 500 major corporations dedicated to supporting displaced people. The initiative was spearheaded by Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder and CEO of American yogurt manufacturer Chobani.
Tent Nederland reportedly brings employers and refugees into direct contact by organizing local and regional job fairs, among other things.
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'Loyal, motivated and eager to work'
Hotel chain Marriott reportedly joined Tent Nederland due to positive experiences with Ukrainian refugees. A group of fifty Ukrainians was given accommodation in one of the chain's hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We currently still employ twelve of them," General Manager Claudia van der Graaf of the Rotterdam Marriott Hotel is quoted as saying in the Nu.nl article.
The hotel chain is now organizing meetings together with municipalities and Tent Nederland to connect with status holders, according to Nu.nl. Since it joined the coalition, Marriott has hired two Syrian refugees, despite difficulties "reaching this group", van der Graad said. "But we will certainly continue with this."
Tent Nederland Director van Melle said the companies are satisfied with the new hires. "They are loyal, motivated and eager to get to work," Van Melle told Nu.nl, adding that the hirings are a solution to the tight labor market.
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Help searching for jobs
Amid labor shortages, which particularly affect essential sectors like healthcare, the Dutch government last month announced that it was planning to help 75,000 status holders find jobs by 2030, media outlet NL Times reported.
According to Nu.nl, the scheme is designed to enable asylum seekers and status holders to start working as soon as possible. The aim is for 60 percent of newcomers to have a full-time job five years after being granted status, the outlet reported.
The Dutch unemployment rate currently stands at 3.8 percent (as of July 16), according to official figures, which is well below the current EU average of 5.9 percent (as of late May).
According to Nu.nl, companies not affiliated with Tent also strive to hire migrants with the necessary documents. Construction company Heijmans, for instance, reportedly hired 60 migrants last year.
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More migrants employed across EU
Immigrant employment in the European Union has reached a record high, with the rate for all migrants climbing to 68 percent last year, according to a new report by the Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
Gains were particularly strong among non-EU nationals, whose employment rate rose to 66 percent -- up from 59 percent in 2017.
The figures of immigrants in employment are now close to that of the native population, according to the report.
Yet significant gaps persist, the authors noted.
Employment rates for non-EU migrants, for instance, vary significantly by host country, ranging from highs in Malta and the Czech Republic to lows in Belgium and Finland.
Experts argue the focus must now shift beyond just job placement. "The challenge today is no longer simply to get immigrants into work," RFBerlin director Christian Dustmann is quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
The new priority, he added, is ensuring qualifications are fully utilized by removing certification barriers and boosting labor participation among non-EU women.
with Reuters