Over 40 Companies Commit to Provide Jobs & Training to More Than 250,000 Ukrainian and Other Refugees at Tent European Business Summit

Accenture, Adecco, Amazon, Generali, ISS, Marriott International, and Microsoft among leading businesses pledging to accelerate the economic integration of Ukrainian refugee women and other refugees

PARIS, June 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of World Refugee Day and as Europe faces its largest refugee crisis since World War II – including 4-5 million refugees, overwhelmingly women, from Ukraine – 41 leading companies have collectively announced ambitious commitments to provide over 250,000 Ukrainian refugee women and other refugees with jobs and training across Europe. Unveiled at today's Tent European Business Summit in Paris – organized by the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) – this sets a new record as the most significant set of business commitments ever made to advance the economic integration of refugees.

This historic set of commitments comprises: leading brands including Hilton, Marriott International, and Teleperformance committing to hire 13,680 refugees into their workforce; the world's largest staffing agencies including Adecco, ManpowerGroup, and Randstad committing to connect 152,000 refugees to work; and major companies including Accenture, Generali, and Indeed committing to train more than 86,000 refugees. Also announced at the Summit was funding from Google.org, Google's philanthropy, to accelerate Tent's work in Poland, as well as new strategic partnerships with LinkedIn and Visa – including funding support – to grow Tent's professional mentorship initiatives for refugees in Europe.

Notably, the commitments being made will strengthen companies' workforces, fill labor gaps, and boost European economies – and generate over €2 billion in income for refugees across Europe each year.

"With no end in sight to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and with the European Union welcoming millions of Ukrainians – it's imperative that refugees are offered longer-term inclusion and hope through integration into the labour market," said Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission, who gave the keynote speech at the Summit. "The opening of the EU's borders to Ukrainians over a year ago showed Europe at its best. However, one year on, far too many refugees remain unemployed, despite our endemic skills shortages, their high levels of education, desire to earn a living, and legal right to work through the Temporary Protection Directive. This unprecedented show of support from businesses across the continent will be critical to enabling tens of thousands of Ukrainians to provide for themselves and their loved ones back in Ukraine."

"Ukrainian refugee women face many hurdles when finding jobs – from not knowing the local language to having to juggle childcare responsibilities. Businesses must do more to reduce these barriers, and help these incredible, strong, talented people enter the workforce," said Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and President of the Tent Partnership for Refugees and CEO and founder of Chobani. "The moment a refugee gets a job is the moment they stop being a refugee. I'm so proud that the companies stepping up today will help more than 250,000 Ukrainian women and other refugees across Europe stand on their own two feet, giving them a chance to live lives of dignity."

Brands committing to hire 13,680 Ukrainians and other refugees into their workforce over the next three years across Europe included: 

     Amazon will hire at least 5,000 refugees
     Hilton will hire at least 1,500 refugees
     Marriott International will hire at least 1,500 refugees
     ISS will hire at least 1,000 refugees
     Teleperformance will hire at least 500 refugees

Other brands making hiring commitments included Accenture, adidas, Blackstone, bp, Duni Group, ESS Group, FCC Medio Ambiente, Hempel, Hyatt, Ipsos, KFC, Kyndryl, L'Oréal Group, Menzies Aviation, Novartis, PepsiCo, Pfizer, QSRP, Starbucks EMEA, Suez, The Body Shop, and The Kraft Heinz Company.

"We know the diversity of our workforce makes us a stronger company, which is why we actively seek to hire people with different backgrounds, skill sets, and levels of experience. We understand the barriers that exist for refugees and other displaced people, and are committed to providing access to meaningful employment," said J. Ofori Agboka, Vice President of People eXperience and Technology (PXT) for Global Operations at Amazon and Tent Advisory Council member. "We're proud of the pledge we have made today, which reflects Amazon's ongoing commitment to support refugees globally."

Staffing agencies also made extraordinary commitments to connect refugees to work over the next three years, by including them in their contingent workforces as well as placing them in jobs with their clients across Europe. Their pledges totaled 152,000 and include:

     Adecco will connect at least 50,000 refugees to work
     Randstad will connect at least 40,000 refugees to work
     EWL Group will connect at least 35,000 refugees to work
     ManpowerGroup will connect at least 30,000 refugees to work

"Adecco has a long-standing commitment of supporting refugees in need. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have helped more than 10,000 refugees connect to work but recognize the increasing need for companies like ours to do even more, given the sobering reality that many are expected to remain displaced for years to come," said Christophe Catoir, President of Adecco and co-host of the Tent European Business Summit. "It's inspiring to see dozens of companies from across Europe come together with such bold commitments at this crucial moment, and Adecco is incredibly proud to be at the forefront of this charge."

In addition, a number of major companies announced commitments to provide training – both directly as well as through partner organizations – over the next three years to help refugees develop in-demand technical skills such as IT, coding, and cyber security, as well as gain a better understanding of the European job market.

     Accenture will provide training and support to an estimated 16,000 refugees
     Indeed will provide training to at least 15,000 refugees
     Cisco will provide training to at least 10,000 refugees
     Microsoft will provide training to at least 5,000 refugees
     Generali will provide training to least 5,000 refugees

"Refugees face so many challenges as they try to enter their new country's labour market for the first time or find work that is commensurate with their skills and background," said Lucy Murdoch, Managing Director - Corporate Citizenship, Accenture. "Training opportunities - whether they're focused on language, industry-specific skills, or learning labour market norms - are critical to help refugee candidates secure meaningful employment. Our pledge today builds on Accenture's ongoing commitment towards creating inclusive employment pathways for refugees and track record in upskilling marginalised populations all around the world to make substantive improvements to their lives and prepare them for sustainable futures."

Other companies committing to train refugees included Accor, Amazon, Hempel, Kyndryl, ManpowerGroup, Novartis, Randstad, Salesforce, Starbucks EMEA, and Unilever.

In light of these pan-European commitments, Tent will look to connect more companies regionally with refugee talent pools at scale – particularly in Poland, which hosts the largest Ukrainian refugee population at 1.5 million. To that end, also announced today was support from Google.org that will leverage Google's resources and technology know-how to bridge the gap between businesses and Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Complementing its wider mission of connecting refugees to jobs, Tent's professional mentorship programs provide support to refugees from employees at participating companies who serve as mentors, offer one-to-one career guidance, and help them restart or advance their careers. To help reach thousands more Ukrainians and other refugee women, new strategic partnerships with LinkedIn and Visa to accelerate the growth of Tent's Refugee Women Mentorship Program in Europe were also announced at the Summit today – including funding.

A complete list of the commitments announced at the Summit can be found here.

APPENDIX: ADDITIONAL QUOTES

Gideon Maltz, CEO of the Tent Partnership for Refugees: "The European public's outpouring of support for Ukrainian refugees in the early days of Russia's invasion is now being matched by the business community making smart, strategic, and durable investments to integrate Ukrainian and other refugees into the labor market. Through these efforts, companies fill labor shortages and harness amazing talent, while refugees rebuild their lives and integrate in their communities. If Russia had hoped that the exodus of Ukrainians would destabilize Europe, today's summit shows that Europe will be stronger and more prosperous for embracing Ukrainians and other refugees."

Kelly T. Clements, Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency: "Tent and its partners have powerfully demonstrated that there is an overwhelming support from businesses, customers and employees towards hiring refugees. Having a job puts refugees on the path to self-reliance, enabling them to support their families. Refugees are innovators, taxpayers, employees, consumers, investors and entrepreneurs. There is no better investment than helping refugees find work or gain the skills they need to enter the labour market. It simply makes good business sense. UNHCR urges more companies to step up and create decent work for refugees globally."

Anthony Capuano, President & CEO of Marriott International: "At Marriott International, we believe in being a force for good and making a positive and sustainable impact in the communities where we do business. Across Europe, this has included support for refugees from Ukraine since the start of the war. Our focus on creating job opportunities has already led to over 970 refugees hired across dozens of our hotels in the region. Marriott's goal to hire an additional 1,500 refugees in Europe builds on the work we're doing to promote opportunities for refugees in the U.S. and highlights our steadfast commitment to put people first and provide economic opportunity for refugees and underrepresented populations."

Laura Fuentes, Chief Human Resources Officer, Hilton & Tent Advisory Council member: "Hilton was founded with the purpose to spread the light and warmth of hospitality – to be a beacon of hope and engine of opportunity. Part of this commitment is to create career pathways for all," said "We are proud to continue our partnership with Tent to hire 1,500 refugees over the next three years at our hotels across Europe and embrace the contributions of this diverse and skilled talent pool among our workforces."

Jacob Aarup-Andersen, CEO of ISS and Tent European Business Summit Co-Host: "At ISS, we are proud of our diverse and inclusive culture, which embraces colleagues from around the world and led us to immediately commit to welcoming Ukrainian refugees into our workforce as soon as the war broke out. Through our partnership with the Tent Partnership for Refugees, local authorities, and other key partners, ISS is proud to have already hired hundreds of refugees in Europe since last spring. Our commitment today to hire at least 1,000 more refugees, including Ukrainian refugee women, builds on our relentless drive to make a true difference for people and societies through financial stability and a sense of belonging."

Paul Polman, Business Leader, Campaigner, Former CEO of Unilever, and Tent European Business Summit Co-Host: "When I joined Hamdi Ulukaya and the other distinguished business leaders as co-host of the Tent European Business Summit a few months ago, I could not have imagined the scale at which businesses would be stepping up for Ukrainians and other refugees today. I deeply commend the companies that have joined this crucial movement and I pay tribute to the many refugees who are rebuilding their lives, from Ukraine and other parts of the world. Their talent and tenacity is a tremendous asset for any company building a capable and determined workforce".

Dominika Bettman, GM of Microsoft Poland and Tent European Business Summit Co-Host: "The millions of Ukrainian refugees that Poland and the rest of Europe have welcomed since the start of the war are primarily women with childcare burdens. Many continue to face professional and social challenges as they strive to enter the local labour market. Training is a critical stepping stone for these willing and talented individuals as they seek to find work. Microsoft is proud to be a part of today's watershed moment with our commitment to work with our partners across Europe to train at least 5,000 Ukrainians until 2025."

Ian Bickley, CEO, The Body Shop: "It's critical that businesses across Europe join forces to provide refugees with opportunities to rebuild their lives. Here at The Body Shop, we've been growing our inclusive hiring practices across our markets for several years now providing jobs to people who desperately need economic stability and the kind of securities that many of us take for granted. We're really looking forward to welcoming more refugees to join our collective and we thank Tent for spearheading this essential work."

For media enquiries:
media@tent.org

About the Tent Partnership for Refugees
With more and more refugees displaced for longer periods of time, businesses have a critical role to play in helping refugees integrate economically in their new communities. Tent was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani – a multibillion dollar food company in the U.S. – to mobilize global businesses to fill this gap by helping connect refugees to work. Today, Tent is a network of over 300 major companies committed to hiring, training, and mentoring refugees. Find out more at www.tent.org.

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