The future of diversity in the workplace: refugee integration in the job market.

Despite this strong connection between having a job and feeling integrated, refugees and migrants find plenty of obstacles in the job market. Many are at risk of unemployment or underemployment; others, although they have a job, are not fully integrated into their organizations. This means they will not be able to perform to their full potential and will likely suffer from poor well-being, a low sense of belonging, and decreased loyalty to the organization.

Fostering the social inclusion of migrants and leveraging diversity for a more equitable world is the goal that led Ashoka Fellow, Co-founder of SPEAK Hugo Menino Aguiar, and his colleague Mariana Brilhante to launch the Diversity & Inclusion Journey (D&I Journey) after joining the Dela systems change accelerator, co-created by Ashoka and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship. Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Journey is an impact venture that enables organizations to achieve their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEl) goals and helps individuals of all backgrounds and walks of life to reach their full potential in the workplace.
 

Activating companies is key in the social integration process

 Over the course of 10 years working on the social inclusion of migrants and refugees, Hugo and Mariana have understood that companies are key stakeholders in the integration process. Access to employment leads to financial autonomy, which has many more positive externalities related to integration such as access to housing, access to health and financial services, contact with locals, and a chance to practice the local language.
 

If companies are implementing diversity and inclusion best practices, they will be more interested in recruiting migrants and refugees, and so the likelihood for employability increases. Moreover, the ones that land a job in these organizations will be able to live up to their full potential.’, shares the Founder of SPEAK, Hugo Menino Aguiar.

The Diversity & Inclusion Journey is supporting companies on the road to becoming more open to diversity and creating an inclusive environment where everyone can access the same opportunities: ‘We realized we can support companies with valuable insights and strategies that allow them to adjust recruitment, hiring and integration practices to foster inclusion, and prepare their teams to truly welcome migrants aboard’, shares Menino Aguiar.

Recent studies show that diverse teams and an inclusive culture help increase creativity, innovation, and problem-solving ability. It also reduces employee turnover and positively impacts a company’s reputation and overall performance.

To succeed, companies need to bet on diversity and inclusion. So why aren’t all of them doing it?